


The Winter Soldier

by Anath_Tsurugi



Series: The Winter Soldier [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Brainwashing, Coming Out, Epic quest, M/M, winter soldier - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-12
Updated: 2013-05-17
Packaged: 2017-12-11 16:43:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 48,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/800889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anath_Tsurugi/pseuds/Anath_Tsurugi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Tesseract wasn't Loki's only path to power. He has another secret weapon to bring against the Avengers...a weapon that may well break Steve Rogers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. If I Die Young...

**Author's Note:**

> Well, as the title might suggest, the concept of the Winter Soldier has always fascinated me, and I found myself somewhat surprised that it hadn't been played with more. So this is me…playing with it

The last thing Bucky Barnes saw as he was ripped away from the train was the look of horror on Steve Rogers' face.

As he fell, he didn't really feel the cold wind rushing past, or think about the horrible death that awaited him at the end of this fall. All he could think was, _Steve, I'm sorry…sorry I wasn't faster…stronger…I'm sorry. This isn't your fault, Steve. I…I wish I could have…_

 _Could have what?_ A different voice asked.

 _I…I don't know,_ he answered. It seemed the fall wasn't over. _I just…had so much to say to him…feel like it wasn't supposed to be this way._

_Interesting. Do you want to live, James Barnes?_

_Well…who wouldn't?_

_That's not a yes...but then, it isn't a no, either. All right, little soldier. I will save your life…for a price of course._

The next moment, the cold became a thousand times colder and Bucky felt like he was ripped in a hundred different directions all at once. When he finally coalesced back into being out of the screaming agony, he crumpled into a heap on the solid ground.

"Am…am I dead?" he asked, barely able to make his mouth move through the pain.

"Certainly not. I saved you, just as I promised."

"Where am I?"

"Open your eyes and see for yourself."

Slowly opening his eyes, despite his massive headache, Bucky glanced around, taking in what limited sight his place on the floor afforded him.

It was night and slightly foggy, but he could still see the rocky plane they were on. The man standing over him was dressed…very strangely, from what he could see…looked like some kind of old timey armor. This didn't hold his attention for very long, though. It was the way the man was looking at him that bothered him…smiling down at him like a cat smiles down at the mouse it's about to eat.

Looking away from the unsettling gaze, Bucky found his eyes drawn back to the stars overhead…and as he looked, he began to realize…they were not _his_ stars. He had been through survival training and he _knew_ the night sky. This was not it. He was looking at a completely different set of stars.

"What is this place?"

"So you've figured it out. You're _very_ far from home, James Barnes…much farther than you can even conceive. I didn't just take you away from that gorge. I took you out of time itself…brought you here to me…no easy feat, little human. Though…it seems the transference was not without its costs," the man said as he knelt beside him, lowering a hand to his left shoulder. Glancing down, Bucky found his entire left arm had been torn clean away. He was in so much pain from whatever the man had done to him, he'd hardly noticed this one specific thing.

"Don't worry, little soldier, this is easily rectifiable," the man said, resting his hand on the bleeding stump. Almost instantly, it froze over, stopping the bleeding.

"Th-thank you," Bucky managed to mumble. Even though he wasn't quite sure he should trust this man, he _had_ saved his life. "Who are you?"

Briefly, the man frowned. "You will know me better hereafter, man thing, but my _name_ is Loki."

"You…said something about a price?" Bucky asked as he slowly sat up, still in pain, but starting to feel it dissipate.

"Naturally. You can't have something for nothing, after all."

"No," the weary soldier agreed. "What do you want? I'm not exactly rolling in dough, but I'm pretty sure I could come up with-"

Loki actually began to chuckle at this. "No, no, no, you misunderstand. Your mortal wealth means nothing to me."

"What _do_ you want, then?"

"It isn't a thing so simple as _wanting_ something. My price for saving your life, James Barnes... _is_ your life."

" _What?_ " Bucky asked, trying to leap to his feet without much success.

"Down, boy!" Loki ordered harshly, snapping his fingers. The next moment, Bucky was on his knees, chained at the wrist and neck to the rock beneath him.

"What is this?" Bucky demanded, struggling pitifully against the chains.

"You belong to me now, little soldier. You owe me your life…and I intend to use it. Should my plans fail, you will be the weapon I'll use to destroy the Avengers."

"Avengers? What?"

"Oh, yes…you wouldn't know them, would you?" Loki asked smugly. "They're a group of special warriors, much like your _Steve_ …and he will be their leader, Captain America…and if I can use _you_ to break him, the Avengers will fall," he explained, running a hand gently along Bucky's jaw. Quickly, he jerked his head away, biting Loki in the process.

"Like _Hell_ am I gonna help you hurt Steve," he growled.

Loki backhanded him viciously across the face, sending Bucky's already aching head spinning.

"That's no way to treat your master, cur. I'll have to punish you for that."

"Do your worst," Bucky challenged, grinning through the pain. "I'm _not_ gonna help you."

"Oh, my little soldier, you seem to be under the unfortunate delusion you have a _choice_ in the matter. Well…I will _break_ you of that."

XxX

 _He's running through the snow, urged on by a drive he can't quite understand. He has to find him. He_ _**has** _ _to!_

_**How could you just let him fall? How could you!** _

_He finds him…broken against the rocks…his blood staining the snow…barely recognizable as anything human anymore._

" _No!" he cries out as he falls to his knees, barely managing to even crawl forward. "No…"_

_He moves slowly toward the body, reaching out to gently stroke the remains of a cheek. "I'm sorry," he sobs quietly, leaning down to kiss the cheek. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."_

_**You were my best friend…the only thing I had left. You saved me…so many times. Why couldn't I save you?**_ Why?

" _You left me."_

_Gasping in shock, he stumbles back. The broken neck has turned and the empty eyes are staring at him._

" _B-Bucky?"_

" _How could you leave me like this?"_

" _I'm sorry. **God** , I'm sorry! I **tried** to save you!"_

" _I was in so much pain. I **needed** you, and you never came to rescue me!"_

" _Bucky, I'm **sorry!** "_

_The corpse doesn't move anymore…but even so, he can still hear his friend screaming._

" _Bucky!_ " Steve shouted as he jolted from his sleep, breathing hard. For a moment, he was confused. Where was the train, the gorge, the snow, the blood… _Bucky?_

Then he remembered. He was in one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s safe houses, he was a man far out of his time…and he was about seventy years too late to save his best friend.

"God," he murmured as he sat up, burying his face in his hands. Was he always going to be kept awake by these nightmares? The plane crashing…Bucky slipping through his fingers…

It had been nearly a year since the Avengers had defeated Loki and sent the Chitauri packing, and perhaps Loki was still getting to him, because in those few awful moments he'd heard Bucky screaming…he could have sworn he'd seen the trickster's face. He'd been absolutely _certain_ Bucky was in danger… _needed_ him.

 _But he_ _**doesn't** _ _need you, does he. He'll never need anything again._ _**You** _ _saw to that._

On nights like tonight, he could sometimes comfort himself by thinking that they were all at peace. His comrades, the general, Howard…Peggy: he knew they had all lived well after the war, but he could conjure no such vision of peace for his oldest and dearest friend. All he had for Bucky was his last scream as he disappeared from view. If anything from his old life haunted him, it was that last sight. Most everything that came after it was a blur…a horrible, aching need to end the man responsible…and not have to acknowledge his own guilt.

"Bad dreams, Cap?" a new voice suddenly asked. Steve glanced up sharply to find Clint standing in his doorway. He hadn't even heard him enter.

"Yeah…bad dreams," he acknowledged, climbing out of bed and moving past the archer into the hallway, then down the stairs and into the kitchen. Clint followed, leaning against the entryway once again as Steve got himself a glass of water.

"That serum junk must have messed with your voice box, too…'cuz that was some pretty nasty screaming back there," he noted casually.

"It messed with everything," Steve said, draining the glass in only three gulps and setting it in the sink before gripping the counter's edge in both fists. "Maybe some things…not enough."

"D'you blame yourself for every guy you lose?" he asked. Steve was well aware that both Clint and Natasha knew all about Bucky. They knew pretty much everything about him and the other three. They had to. In fact, Natasha was probably just around the corner listening in…waiting to see if he'd go off. He'd gone off once before after waking with Bucky's name on his lips and the kitchen had been in need of remodeling after the fact. He wasn't as bad as Bruce, he knew…if _he'd_ been the one to go off, there wouldn't have been anything left of the building…but he also knew he could be a serious threat if his control slipped. He didn't feel angry tonight, though…he just felt empty…empty and aching and horribly sad.

"Some more than others," he said, not looking back at the marksman. "Do you know what it's like…to watch your best friend die…and know you could have stopped it?"

"No…but I _do_ know what it's like to lose someone you love…and to feel guilty for being alive when they're not. It's not that different."

"Maybe not," he responded, gripping the counter a little tighter. "And do you still hear that person screaming?" he asked, glaring at the faucet like it had somehow offended him.

"Sometimes," Clint said, finally moving into the kitchen and coming to lean against the counter beside him. "I've found the best thing to do is…find someone you can talk to. Y'know, you're gonna get some pretty bad splinters if you keep on doing that."

Blinking rapidly, Steve glanced down at his hands, only to find he'd been gripping the counter so hard his fingers had bored through the tiles and into the wood beneath them. Several pieces of wood and stone had come off in his hands. How on Earth had he not noticed _that?_

"Sorry," he mumbled, allowing the broken pieces of counter to fall away in order to examine his hands. He only had a few cuts, but the entire countertop would have to be replaced because of this.

"What're you apologizing for? _You're_ the one who's hurt," Clint remarked as Steve ran more water to wash the blood away. These wouldn't take long enough to heal to merit bandaging.

"I should have better control than this."

"Hey, Cap, you're grieving. All bets are off when you're grieving."

Grieving? Yes…that was probably true. He'd never really thought of it that way, but he had never had a chance to properly grieve for his friend seventy years ago, he'd been so fixated on catching Schmidt. Upon awakening, there had been the whole business with Loki. It wasn't until a few months ago that he'd really been hit hard by the grief. He'd always been out of place in this time, but it hadn't been until that night he'd gone off that he'd really allowed himself to feel the pain of their absence…to really acknowledge that he would never see Bucky or Peggy again. Prior to that, he'd just been drifting…going through the motions of living.

All the doctors said grieving was a good thing…healthy. But he really had to wonder when it became _un_ healthy…when you had to admit to yourself that you were stuck and simply incapable of letting go?

"You know what you need?" Clint finally asked, breaking the heavy silence.

"What?" Steve asked, sighing as he backed away from the sink and moved to lean against the fridge.

"You need to get out. Nat and I are going out on Friday, doing a little barhopping before we head back out. You should come."

"No, I…I couldn't impose."

"Don't even give me that. We'll find some other people to go, make a party out of it. Besides, probably best to be out of the house when Fury has the guys over to repair the counter."

Shaking his head as a sort of half-smile moved across his face, Steve finally gave in. "All right, fine…but you _do_ remember I can't get drunk, yeah?"

"I remember. Doesn't make drinking any less fun. We'll get you to drink some stupid college kids under the table."

XxX

_Little soldier…do you hear me, my little soldier?_

_I hear you, Master._

_It's time to wake up now. Come and unleash my Winter on my enemies._

_Yes, Master._

XxX

'Some other people' turned out to be Tony, Pepper, Sharon Carter, Dr. Selvig, and even Jane Foster managed to show up, which was amazing, given that S.H.I.E.L.D. had her moving around so much for her research.

Steve hadn't much cared for the idea of Clint's drinking game, but the others had been all for it (except Pepper, who had been only slightly hesitant), and Jane had talked him into it on the basis that any takers might learn a lesson and _not_ drink themselves stupid again. So he'd agreed, under the condition they call all of his challengers cabs. Thus far, he'd bested three people, two male and one female (whom he'd taken slight issue with accepting a challenge from, but every single woman present had reassured him they would hand him his ass if he turned her down based solely on that fact; really, he should know better after having known Peggy), and was working his way through a forth. The young man tried to go for another shot, but tumbled off the bar stool before he could manage it. Sharon caught him as he went down, helping him to the floor.

"You are a fucking _gooood_ , man," the boy slurred, going cross-eyed before passing out cold.

The others all had a good laugh at the praise, except for Jane, who seemed to be the only one to notice Steve stiffen at the word 'god.' As the group went back to their own drinks and bar food, Jane sidled into the seat the previous taker had vacated.

"Doing all right?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" he asked absently.

"Well…most people don't look like they've kicked the proverbial puppy after being called a god."

"I just…I knew somebody back in the day who liked to think _we_ were gods," he said, uncertain how much the physicist knew about his situation. "I lost a lot to him. Don't much like to think about it."

"Anything you want to talk about?" she pressed.

"Not to seem rude, Ma'am, but I _did_ just say I don't like to think about it," he said, draining the shot his last challenger had left standing.

"All right, let me rephrase that. Anything you _need_ to talk about?"

Steve almost laughed at this. "You don't take no for an answer, do you?"

"Mm-mm," she said, shaking her head, "but they say you're the same way. Gotta bring my A game to get anything out of you."

"Right," he said, already feeling stupid for the question he felt forming in his mouth. "Have you ever…lost someone, Miss Foster?"

"You don't have to do the ma'am or miss thing. Jane's fine…and the answer's yes. Both my parents died a while ago."

"I'm sorry for your loss…but were you able to make peace with it?" he asked.

"Mostly. I still think about them a lot, but it's not as painful as it used to be. I know they wouldn't want me to be sad forever. Missing the old days?" she asked him, not quite sure how else to phrase the question.

"Something like that. I…I think I've made peace with my girl…"

"Peggy?"

"Yeah…I know she and the others got to see the end of the war and…like you said, it doesn't hurt as much to think about her as it used to…even when the others try to set me up with Sharon."

Jane laughed a little at this, knowing just what he was talking about. Several people at S.H.I.E.L.D. had been hoping Sharon and Steve would hit it off. While Sharon was Peggy's great niece and very much like her from what the rest of them understood from Steve, she was still not Peggy and never would be. She was Sharon. The two of them were good friends, but it stopped there…and some of the more matchmakerly-inclined hadn't quite accepted that yet.

"That's good, I suppose," Jane said once she'd stopped laughing. "And as for what's _really_ on your mind?"

Steve tried to laugh at her persistence, but it came out as more of a pained sigh. "I can't…seem to make any kind of peace with my best friend's death."

"The one who fell off the train?" Jane asked quietly.

"Yeah…Bucky. It still hurts just as much to think about it as it did when it happened. I can't…let it go," he said, feeling his throat tighten as he set his glass down and pushed it away before he had the chance to shatter it through inattention.

"Maybe…there was something unresolved between you two?" she suggested tentatively. "Did you ever think about that?"

"Unresolved…like what?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"I don't know. That's for you to figure out. But trust me, I know about unresolved shit. It _really_ sucks," she said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You'll wind up half crazy."

"Well…I think I might be _there_ already," he confided, contemplating refilling his glass from the pitcher they had going. Just as he'd decided to reach for it, though, he heard the very distinct sound of a knife being drawn and thrown. Without even thinking about it, he pulled Jane in front of him to shield her, grunting in pain as the blade entered his right shoulder.

"Steve!" he heard Jane shout as he reached back to pull the knife out.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, dropping the weapon to the floor.

"I'm _fine_ , you idiot! What about you?"

"Nothing to worry about," he reassured her, making sure she was behind him before turning to face his attacker.

When Steve looked toward the main entrance, he found himself faced with a man dressed in black from head to toe, head including a black biker's helmet that concealed his face. The man already had another knife drawn.

"So…who invited the Hells Angel?" Tony asked as he, Clint, Natasha, and Sharon all moved into line with Steve.

"What do you want?" Steve asked, staring down the intruder as best he could. The man remained silent, blade ready to be thrown.

"Pepper, Erik, Jane?" Sharon began slowly, her hand resting on her concealed gun. "I think now would be a good time to leave."

Pepper and Erik complied quickly, moving toward Jane to lead her out. The moment Erik's hand landed on her shoulder, however, their assailant let the blade fly, the steel weapon embedding itself in the bar just beneath Erik's arm.

"Foster stays," the man ordered, quickly drawing yet _another_ knife. For reasons he couldn't fathom, Steve thought there was something strangely familiar about the voice.

"I don't think so," Erik said, pretty calm, considering he'd nearly had his arm sliced in half.

"Erik…do what he says," Jane said slowly.

"I'm not leaving you."

"I'll be fine," she said, her eyes remaining locked on the mystery man.

"Nothing will happen to her," Steve promised. "For now, make sure the others evacuate. We'll handle this."

Even though several people had already fled the bar, many still remained. They didn't really seem to get what was going on until Tony used his bracelet device to summon his armor from his and Pepper's car. As shouts of recognition arose from the crowd, Pepper announced to the oblivious onlookers, "Anyone who likes their limbs where they are would be pretty smart to vacate the premises right about now."

"She's right, you know," the man said when no one moved. "I'm only taking one prisoner tonight. Anyone else still here in thirty seconds is fair game." With that, he removed his left glove, revealing a hand that looked to be made of some sort of metal. A ball of energy soon materialized in that hand and the man flung it at the bar, shattering the wall of bottles.

This finally jumpstarted the crowd and they fled the building in panic, patrons and employees alike. As the civilians fled, Tony, now fully suited, turned his attention from making sure Pepper had left safely back to the enemy at hand.

"Now what do you have against alcohol, pal? That's a lot of really good drinks gone to waste. Who's gonna pay for that?"

The man said nothing. He just raised his hand again and flung another energy blast at Tony, who countered with a blast of his own. Both combatants easily dodged the attacks. As the man approached, Natasha and Sharon let fly a hail of bullets, which he also dodged. He seemed to be moving so fast, he just slipped between the rain of fire. Within seconds, he was standing in front of Steve, but when the first Avenger attempted to throw a punch, he found his shoulder and arm had gone completely numb.

"A little late to the party, aren't we?" he mocked, but before he could say anything more, Steve managed a blow with his left fist…a blow that sent their assailant crashing into the far wall. He hit the floor hard, and for several minutes, he lay still. Slowly, Steve approached him, kneeling beside him when the man made no response.

Still being cautious, Steve reached for the helmet, but that was when the silver hand darted out and seized his wrist.

"Who are you?"

"You don't recognize me? Captain America, I'm hurt."

"How can I recognize you if I can't see your face?"

"Come on, Steve. That's no way to treat your best friend," he said, releasing his wrist.

"W-what?"

At this, the man reached for the helmet himself, slowly pulling it off…and Steve stumbled back in shock, collapsing unceremoniously to the floor.

The hair was longer, the skin was paler and adorned with several scars, and the eyes were hard…so hard…but he would know that face anywhere.

"Bucky?"

"Yeah…it's me," he said, climbing to his feet and coming to stand over him. "That isn't my name anymore, but it's me."

"But you…I…you fell. You're…alive?" he struggled to ask, feeling like he could honestly break down at any moment.

Bucky sneered as he knelt on top of him, pinning him to the floor between both legs. Steve didn't dare move, didn't dare _breathe_ …for fear that this was some kind of sick joke. Bucky…James… _alive!_

"No thanks to _you_ ," he snarled, grabbing Steve by the collar and hauling his face up close to his, his expression twisting into something ugly and utterly unlike him.

"How?"

"A god took pity on me…and now my soul belongs to him."

Instantly, an image of Loki popped into Steve's head, but before he could say anything more, he felt a knife plunged into his stomach. Steve cried out in pain as he fell back, already feeling the strange numbness beginning to spread through his gut.

"Keep your eyes on me, Steve," he warned before getting back to his feet, heading toward Jane once again. Natasha tried to stop him, but a quick slash to her side easily put her out of commission.

"Nat!" Clint shouted as she went down, moving to her side. No minor injury like that should have been able to take her down. What the Hell was _with_ these blades? Already, the Black Widow was beginning to shake and sweat was breaking out all over her body. Pulling out a knife of his own, Clint made to throw it at Bucky, but was stopped. Glancing over, he found Steve on his knees beside him, actually gripping the sharp blade in his bare hand.

"Don't…please don't," he begged. Glaring, Clint tried to wrench the dagger away from him, but Steve fought him, holding onto the blade, though it cut into his palm. "Please… _please,_ Clint. I…I thought he was _dead!_ "

Clint finally allowed the knife to drop when he saw the tears streaming down Steve's face, feeling torn as he turned his gaze back to the conflict at hand. Bucky had reached Jane. She knew there was no sense in trying to run after seeing the way he'd moved earlier. Holding up the knife still stained with Natasha's blood, he ran the tip along the physicist's jaw.

"You're a smart girl. I think you know better than to run. If this were to pierce your skin, it would kill you within the hour."

"What do you want from me?"

"Just come with me without argument…and no one else gets hurt," he said, offering her his metal hand. For several silent moments, she just stared at it.

"Jane…" Sharon began warningly, but the young scientist ultimately shook her head, taking the hand he offered.

"Hey, I'm not scared," she reassured all of them as Bucky pulled her close against his side. "You guys are gonna come get me, right?"

"No," Tony said, as if this fact were obvious. "We're not gonna come get you because you're not _going_ anywhere," he said, flinging another blast at Bucky. Smirking, he actually _vanished_ into thin air, taking Jane with him. Then he reappeared directly behind Tony.

"Cute," he said, the metal hand coming to rest on Tony's shoulder…and the blast issuing from it tearing through the armor and flinging the iron man across the room. Then he announced to the group at large, "Tell those idiots in Asgard to get off their asses if they want their precious trinket back."

"Bucky…Bucky, why are you _doing_ this?" Steve struggled to ask, feeling the numbness spreading even worse.

"Why, Steve? Because I'd honestly like to see you _dead_. Unfortunately, the poison on those blades isn't quite enough to do it…it'll still hurt like a bitch, though. A large enough dose could kill an Asgardian. Not sure I like _her_ chances," he said, shaking his head in feigned pity as he glanced down at Natasha.

"Bucky-"

"I _told_ you," he snapped at him, "That _isn't_ my name anymore. The person you knew is dead. I'm the Winter Soldier now, and you damn well better remember it… _Captain America_ ," he said, spitting out the name like some ugly curse before vanishing with Jane.

"Well," Tony grunted as he slowly sat up. "I'd say that's the end of the Avengers right there…'cuz thunder boy is definitely going to kill all of us."

"Bucky…God… _Bucky_ ," Steve whispered over and over again, unable to stop now he'd started. Struggling for breath, he finally collapsed to the floor, the sounds of Clint demanding medical support ringing in his ears as coherency slipped away from him. In this hazy, dreamlike state, the one question that rose above all the others was…

… _how?_

XxX

Meanwhile, in the deepest cell of Asgard, Loki Laufeyson smirked to himself, even through the enchanted muzzle that kept him from working a good portion of his power.

_The Winter Soldier is awake at last. Midgard will soon fall._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can Loki pull people out of time? Don't rightly know, but I wouldn't put it past him…with limitations, anyway. After all, we did see the consequences of just this one instance. Imagine what might happen if it was more than one person…
> 
> So, doing anything for you?


	2. Devil Went Down To Asgard

After they vanished from the bar, Bucky and Jane warped through a black void before reappearing in a small room. The space was dark, but it still seemed like the brightest light of Heaven after the void. The moment Bucky released her, Jane collapsed to her knees, unable to support herself.

"You're…Steve's friend?" she asked, her voice weak. "The one who's dead?"

"I _was_ his friend…not that it meant much to _him_ ," the mercenary snapped before moving toward a console on the far wall to check a few things.

"That isn't true, Bucky. You have no _idea_ how torn up he was over you."

"I'll thank you not to use that name. That person doesn't exist anymore."

"How are you still alive? Even if you _did_ survive the fall…you don't look any older than twenty-five. What happened?"

"I exist because of the grace of my master…Loki."

"Loki?" Jane repeated, her eyes going wide in shock. "You work for _him?_ "

"Not _work_ , no. He is my master. I _belong_ to him," he explained.

"But _why?_ It _killed_ Steve to lose you. Why would you betray him?"

"Did it kill him?" the soldier demanded, throwing her a poisonous glare. "He looked pretty healthy to me."

"Don't do that. It wasn't like that. He tore himself up over what happened."

"You don't know anything about it," he said, moving back toward her, producing a pair of handcuffs from his jacket. "What I went through for him…and he just _left_ me!"

"What do you mean 'left you'?" Jane asked, getting angry as he bound her wrists behind her. "You fell off a train into a gorge. You _should_ be dead. How can you blame _him_ for whatever happened to you?"

Growling, the soldier seized her hair and yanked her head back, holding it close against his own. "Tell me, Jane Foster, have you ever been to the ends of the universe?"

"No."

"Well, I _have_ …and it's cold…so cold you forget that anything else exists…and so infinite, you feel like a speck of dust…and it's all collapsing on top of you. Would _you_ remember that any other living thing had ever cared about you?" he asked before flinging her harshly to the ground.

"I don't know if anybody told you this, _Bucky_ , but Loki's locked up. What exactly are you hoping to accomplish here?" she asked after the daze had passed.

"I know that. It's why I've been asleep these past months…to avoid being found until the time was right."

"So the 'time is right,' then?" Jane asked, rolling her eyes as she sat up.

"Yes…and _you're_ going to be my key into Loki's cell."

XxX

Steve didn't quite pass out; he remained in that strange hazy state for what felt like hours. He couldn't quite tell what was going on around him, but he _did_ begin to feel the pain Bucky had promised him. He felt it in his shoulder…his stomach…as if someone had disemboweled him and replaced his insides with molten lava. He had no idea whether he was screaming out loud or in his head, but he was in agony either way…both physically and psychologically.

 _Bucky…Bucky…how…why…what happened to you? My God, you're_ _**alive!** _ _James…Bucky…alive, alive,_ _**alive!** _ _But…who did this to you? What's happening? Why are you doing this?_ _**Bucky!** _

By turns, his heart was soaring and crashing as he struggled through the fever dream. Bucky was alive…but something was wrong with him. What had _happened?_

When Steve finally came back to himself, he found he was strapped to a hospital bed in what looked to be a med ward. Glancing around, he found Nick Fury sitting in a chair across from him, chin resting in his clasped hands as he stared at him.

"Y'know…sometimes I really wish the god damn planet would just stay saved. I wasn't expecting to have to call you all together again so soon."

"What's going on?" Steve asked, struggling to speak through a throat that was dry and hoarse.

"You've been thrashing and screaming for about three hours, Cap…and about an hour before that, we picked up an energy signature that was a match for Loki's, but just when we were closing in on it, it jumped clean off the map. That was when Barton called in, screaming at me to get a chopper out."

Suddenly remembering, Steve struggled to sit up, failing to break free of whatever it was that held him down. "Natasha? What happened to her? Is she all right?"

The question was answered by an ear-splitting shriek. Wrenching his head to the left, Steve looked several beds down to find Natasha thrashing hysterically on her own bed while Clint bodily held her down, his face pale and drawn as he watched her struggle.

"We can't restrain Agent Romanoff," Fury explained quietly once the bout of screaming had stopped. "That just makes the fits worse. She has a…bit of an issue with being restrained."

"What was it? Poison?" he asked as Fury moved to unbind him.

"Yeah…something Asgardian, though. Like nothing found on Earth. We've got no antidote. You managed to fight through it, but…we've barely been able to keep Romanoff stable. She's just about flat-lined a few times."

"What can we do?" Steve asked, noting that he'd been retrained with chains as he sat up.

"If they won't come to us, we gotta go to them. We're on the Helicarrier, en route to New Mexico. Stark and Selvig went to find Banner. Shouldn't be but half an hour behind us."

"What's in New Mexico?"

"The most stable point on our planet with which to experiment with Jane Foster's work, since it's the last place the Bifrost ever touched."

"You mean the…the wormhole stuff?" he continued to press. He could never pretend to grasp the intricacies of Jane's work, but the basic idea was simple enough…a bridge between places.

"Yeah. The technology really isn't ready yet…but we don't have a lot of options at this point," Fury said, glancing back at the other two agents. Clint had been able to climb off of Natasha once the fit had passed and he was now sitting beside her, waiting anxiously incase another one should arise.

"Sir," Steve began slowly…uncertain. "What…what happened at the bar-"

"Yeah, I know. They told me about it," Fury said, meeting his gaze with a stern one of his own. "I'm only gonna say this once, Cap, so pay attention. Your friend _died_ seventy years ago. Even if this Winter Soldier _is_ the same man, he's clearly been twisted by Loki. I don't want you to go losin' your head over this. That's just what he wants…it was probably his plan from the start. We need to treat this like another one of his illusions."

Rationally, he knew what Fury was saying was right…but the irrational was winning out right now…the part of his heart that so desperately wanted to believe his friend was alive…that he could somehow get him back…rescue him…as he hadn't been able to do before.

"Well, Sir, _I_ was supposed to die seventy years ago, too, so…forgive me if I don't take your assessment at face value," he said stolidly.

Fury eyed him warily for several long moments before asking, "We gonna have a problem, Captain Rogers?"

"We don't _have_ to."

"I'm not too sure. As director, I do have to be asking myself if maybe the Winter Soldier didn't get away with Jane because of _your_ interference."

"His name's Bucky," Steve said quietly.

Fury's expression continued to grow icier as he surveyed his field commander. "We do _not_ know what we're up against right now. Until such a time as we have more information, I will continue to refer to this man as the Winter Soldier…and he _is_ our enemy. Are we understood, Captain?"

"Yes…Sir…we're understood," Steve said slowly, never breaking eye contact with the director. He had never been much of a liar.

Fury raised an eyebrow. "Gonna keep that same attitude if Natasha doesn't make it?" he asked before striding out of the med ward.

Suddenly torn between feeling guilty and feeling…something else, Steve glanced over at Clint and Natasha again. The Black Widow was lying still now, her breathing ragged and her clothing soaked with sweat. She looked awful…but Clint almost looked worse. He sat absolutely still, hunched over, chin resting on his hands as he watched over her. The only indication of the archer's inner turmoil was the wash of helpless anger in his eyes. Climbing from the bed, Steve moved slowly toward them.

"How is she?"

"Stable for now," Clint answered without looking at him, "but you saw what happened just now. That could start up again any time. Just hope this portal shit works. She doesn't have a lot of time," he admitted.

"Is…is this _my_ fault?" Steve found himself asking, partly to himself and partly to Clint, but mostly to Natasha.

"I was _going_ to blame you," Clint answered honestly. "I was _ready_ to…but then I heard you shouting over there…when you were under…heard you cryin' out for him…and I remembered when that squirrelly bastard had _me_ doing his dirty work…and wondered if maybe I wouldn't do the same thing for _her_ if she went off crazy," he said, resting a hand on the bed next to Natasha's shoulder, not quite touching, but there just incase.

"Mm… _Mama_ …" Natasha whimpered, tossing her head from side to side in her fever.

"You might want to clear out," Clint warned, climbing on top of Natasha as her body began to shake again. "This could get ugly…and I doubt she'll want you to hear some of the things she might say."

"Sure you don't need help?" Steve asked, even as he began to back away.

"Nah…I can handle anything she can dish out," Clint said, a look of resolve on his face as he pinned his friend down.

XxX

The station was a bustle of activity when they touched down. The place had been built around the spot where the Bifrost had last touched in the hope of establishing a stronger connection. The machines Jane had supervised the building of had only been tested a few times…and not yet with anything living. The evening would certainly prove to be…interesting.

Tony, Erik, and Bruce arrived in Tony's jet not too long after the Helicarrier and the three super geniuses immediately got to work helping to set up the equipment.

"So…do all of the Avengers need to die if this experimental Rosen Bridge jazz turns out to be just that…experimental?" Bruce queried as he finished rigging one of the last transmitters.

"Aww, what's wrong, Banner? Scared of a little wormhole action?" Tony asked as he suited up.

"Not really myself I'm worried for. Somehow, I don't think even this would kill me…and you've got your suit…but not all of us are immune to death in the vacuum of space," he said, glancing between Steve and Clint, who held Natasha in his arms. The two men had already taken their place in the circle at the center of the complex…a simple circle in the sand that was open to the sky, but surrounded by a protective barrier of glass and a veritable sea of machinery.

"Natasha's going to die anyway," Clint said, his demeanor unreadable. "We've got nothing to lose. We're going through."

"I'm going, too," Steve said as he pulled his mask on. "I _need_ to talk to Loki…find out what he did to Bucky."

"And we all know it's just not a party without me," Tony said as he took his place in the circle, followed quickly by Bruce. Once they were all in place, Erik sealed the glass barrier behind them.

"So you really think this'll work?" Clint asked Bruce.

"It's difficult to say. If Miss Foster miscalculated the calibration even a little bit, the induction sequences might be-"

"Please don't go into it," Steve begged the scientist with a sigh. "We'll be here for hours."

"Hey! Sometimes a little techno-babble is good for the soul," Tony protested.

"But basically, either it works…or we all get ripped to atoms?" Clint asked.

"That's the thin of it, yes," Bruce answered, standing with his arms folded over his chest. "We might all get ripped to atoms even if it _does_ work. We'll just be atoms in Asgard instead of atoms here."

"Way to be a buzz kill, man," Tony said, shaking his head.

"Well…see you all in Hell, I guess," Clint said with shrug, no easy feat with Natasha's half-dead weight in his arms.

"You all go in there?" Fury asked, rapping on the glass.

Glancing around at each of them, Steve ultimately turned back to the director with a nod.

"We're go."

"All systems check out," Erik reported. "Ready when you are, Director."

Nodding, Fury announced to the group of agents and scientists manning the equipment, "All right, people, we are go on my mark. Stage One transmitters live in five, four, three, two, one!"

At Fury's signal, Stage One went live, and the air over the group's heads began to crackle with energy. It was meant to happen gradually, but with Stage One active, the rest happened in sudden succession, exploding a brilliant dagger of energy up toward the night sky, splitting the heavens and bending them to human will.

Erik briefly considered shutting down when the stages began to run out of control all the way up to Stage Five, but they were already at full power before he could even reach for the abort lever. Almost within moments of beginning, the event was over and they were left with an empty glass circle.

"What now?" Erik asked uncertainly. "We've got no way to know if they all made it through or not."

"They'll let us know somehow. Right now, all we can do is wait…and I can go get chewed out by the council for testing out Foster's equipment before it was ready," Fury said, something like a grin sliding across his face.

XxX

Steve's first thought was that the experience was very much like when he'd been exposed to the vita-rays in order to initiate his transformation. Only this wasn't painful. He was much stronger now. This…this was _breath-taking_ …traveling through the space between dimensions at who knew what kind of speed…colors and sensations he'd never imagined existed speeding through all in an instant.

The journey was over quickly and Steve found himself slamming into the ground, falling to his knees as some kind of discernable reality swirled back into existence around him. When his vision was finally solid again, he found himself looking at a group of people, only one of which he recognized.

"My friends," Thor said, his expression solemn as he came toward them. "I am pleased to see you, although I wish it were under better circumstances."

Glancing around as he got to his feet, Steve asked, "Is everyone all right?"

The group answered pretty firmly in the affirmative, shaky, but all still able to climb to their feet.

"You know what's been going on?" Steve asked the Asgardian.

"Yes. Heimdall has seen all," he said gesturing back toward one of the Agardians. "He's been searching for Jane, but cannot seem to find where the Winter Soldier has taken her."

"Thor…what's happened to him…did Loki do this?"

A pained expression crossed the god's face as he turned away from them, moving back toward the others. "Yes…we think so. There's no other way this soldier could hide himself from Heimdall's gaze. I've been…questioning him…but my brother will tell me nothing."

"Let _me_ try," Steve requested as the Avengers moved to join the Asgardians. "I _have_ to know what happened."

"You may try," the seeming eldest of the group told him, "but words will have little affect on my son."

"Well, talk is cheap, now, isn't it," Tony said glibly.

"Apologies, my friends. This is my father, Odin, All-Father, king of Asgard," Thor introduced.

"An honor, Sir," Steve said, inclining his head toward the ruler, trying to remember his manners, even at a time like this.

"And these are my friends, the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun, and my mother, Queen Frigga."

Once the introductions had been made, Clint stepped forward with Natasha. "What about her? What was on those blades he was using?"

"Nidhogg's Fire," Odin explained, looking down on the assassin with pity. "A deadly poison made from the blood of the dragon, Nidhogg. That your woman still lives is a wonder of itself. Lesser mortals would have perished long before arriving here."

"Is there anything we can _do?_ " Clint pressed, his expression hard.

"There may be…but it will not be easy."

"Never is," the marksman said with an almost indifferent shrug…almost.

"Come with me," Frigga said to him. "We may be able to do something for her to slow the poison. We can talk afterward," she said, leading Clint across what remained of the Bifrost and up to the castle. The others followed close behind, heading down once they reached the castle instead of following Frigga and Clint up.

"Loki has not spoken a word this past year," Thor explained to them as they moved down through the levels of the large structure.

"Which is nearly a _miracle_ , given that it's Loki," Sif snarled quietly.

"No kidding," Tony said. "Didn't know the guy _could_ shut up."

"Sound like anyone you know?" Bruce commented casually.

"Well, yeah, but people _like_ hearing me talk," Tony said. Bruce actually snorted.

"Oh, my. Have the mighty heroes come to visit me in my lonely prison?" a familiar, icy voice greeted the group upon their arrival at the lowest level.

"Huh…that was easy," Tony said.

"Be wary," Odin warned. "If he speaks with you now, it is because he has a plan."

"Well, I certainly hope they'd figured _that_ out if they came all the way here, _Father_ ," the voice hissed out of the darkness beyond the winding staircase. "I believe you want a word, Captain Rogers."

"Loki!" Steve shouted into the darkness. Instantly, several sets of torches flared to life along the walls, revealing a long hallway that led to a cell. Steve was about to head down the corridor when Thor's hand on his chest stopped him.

Odin raised a hand, muttering some kind of incantation under his breath, unlocking several traps along the corridor that probably would have torn any unfortunate intruders into a million pieces. Once the All-Father began to move, the others followed him swiftly down the hallway.

Loki was in the cell, bound to the walls with a thick set of gold chains, smiling his usual leery smile at them as they approached. Odin quickly pulled the traps back into place before Thor unlocked the cell.

"We have business," Steve said as he moved into the cell. Loki smiled at him right up until he punched him in his smug little face. Loki just cracked his jaw in response.

"Really, Captain, I thought you'd be pleased. Isn't my little soldier a sight to behold?"

This time Steve punched him in the stomach. "What did you do to him!"

"Saved his life. He was so grateful, he vowed to serve me forever."

" _That's a lie!_ " Steve shouted, seizing Loki's collar and pulling his face right up against his, straining the god's immobilized limbs against his bonds. "I'm gonna ask you again. _What._ Did you _do_. To my _friend?_ "

For several minutes, Loki was silent, smirking at his would-be interrogator. When he finally spoke, it was in a quiet hiss. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" he said, glancing past Steve, back to the others.

Feeling his stomach drop, Steve slowly released Loki, turning to see what he was looking at. Past the Avengers, past the Asgardians, standing alone in the half-light just beyond the cell with an eerie smirk on his face, was Bucky.

"Miss me, Steve?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I've got zero hope of explaining the type of technology that probably goes into this wormhole business. Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	3. Half-Sick Of Shadows

"Bucky?"

"What trick is this, Brother?" Thor asked.

"No trick. That's really him. He's learned well," Loki said, grinning at his soldier with something like pride.

"How is it that this man came through…without being seen?" Heimdall asked, eyeing the human strangely.

"I was always there. Once I had Foster secure, I went to the compound in New Mexico and I waited for all of you to arrive. I was right there in the circle with you when the transfer happened. That machine was the only way I was going to get here. It's a simple perception spell. I was there…you just didn't want to see me," he explained as he moved into the cell.

"So clever," Loki praised, almost as if the man were a dog.

"What have you done with Jane, Winter Soldier?" Thor demanded. The soldier only snickered.

"You want to know?"

At that moment, they all received an image in their heads. Jane was trapped in a dark room somewhere, on her knees, both arms strapped into a wicked-looking machine.

"Here's what we're going to do," Bucky began to explain. "You're going to free my master, you're going to take down the enchantments on the hall, and we're both going to walk out of here. If anyone disagrees with this plan, well…we'll find out just how much little Jane can stand."

"Bucky, _please!_ Don't do this," Steve begged, taking several steps toward his friend. "This isn't _you._ "

"Ah, ah, ah," he warned. "You stay back, too."

"Father-"

"No."

"All right, then," Bucky said with a shrug. The next image they received was one of currents of energy traveling up the machine and into Jane's body. Her head fell back and she cried out in agony as the current danced along her skin and flowed into her.

" _Jane!_ " Thor shouted.

"Bucky, don't!" Steve continued to plead. "She's not part of this."

"Oh, that isn't me. I can't control it from here. I don't have that kind of power. This is all Loki. So you can stop trying to target me, Mr. Stark. It won't change the situation at all…and I doubt your arsenal's going to be effective against him."

"Loki, _stop!_ " Thor shouted, screaming right along with Jane. "I will do as you ask. I will set you free. I beg you, do not harm her!"

Loki leered at his brother, shaking his head. "So… _soft!_ " he hissed at him as he came forward to unbind him.

"Thor-"

"No, Father. Loki has the upper hand right now, so we must accept the loss. I _will not_ lose her. Not like this."

"Uh, what upper hand does he have exactly?" Tony asked. "He's still chained up."

"What would you do if it was _your_ woman strapped to that device?" Thor shot back at him. For once in his life, Tony shut up. The sound of the chains clattering to the floor filled the newborn silence. The next image to enter their heads was of the machine going dark and silent and Jane slumping forward, groaning in pain.

Once the trickster was free, the Winter Soldier moved forward to kneel before him.

"Master."

Loki surveyed him for several moments, rubbing his wrists to get the blood flowing properly again. Then he lifted his face up by the chin.

"You've done well, my little soldier," he said as he helped him to stand. Then he pulled his slave into his arms and pressed his lips to his, making a very obscene display out of the kiss.

Steve was honestly stunned. For a few moments, it felt like those seventy years had never passed and he had never received the serum…that he was still in a Brooklyn back alley getting punched in the gut…repeatedly…probably with some brass knuckles thrown in for good measure. Worse was that he was at a loss to explain this feeling. Certainly, there was a feeling of violation and anger on behalf of his friend, but…there were other things, too…things he couldn't understand, but felt nonetheless. Hurt? Was that…jealousy?

When the two men finally separated, Loki took a moment to wipe his lips before turning to look at Steve.

"Something to say, Captain Rogers?"

Steve had nothing…couldn't even muster up the will to shake his head.

"No?" Loki sighed, shaking his head. "Oh, well. I do believe your friend has something to say to _you_ , though," he said, nodding to let his soldier know he could approach the captain.

The man did just that, sneering as he advanced on Steve, backing him up against the cell wall with nowhere else to retreat to. He got right up in his face, completely invading his personal space.

"Did that bother you… _Steve?_ "

"I…Bucky, I…"

"Heh, guess it doesn't matter now, does it…but you really ought to know the girls weren't the only ones you had an effect on," he said, reaching a hand up to pull off his mask.

Steve didn't resist when he pulled the mask off, pushed the hood back, completely exposed his face. For several minutes, all he could manage was to stare at him in confusion and…maybe a little bit of fear.

"Bucky…" he whispered.

Then, suddenly, his friend's lips were on his, and his fingers were tangled in his hair, keeping them pressed tightly together. He needn't have bothered, though. Steve wasn't going anywhere. He was much too shocked to even think of doing anything but stand there, and Bucky took advantage of this, pushing him harshly against the stone wall and pressing his body firmly against his.

For several moments, Steve couldn't think, couldn't even breathe properly. The only fact that mattered seemed to stream through his head like a broken record. Bucky was _kissing_ him. _Bucky_ was kissing him. Bucky was kissing _him!_ Lost in the moment, he began to feel a faint stirring of warmth in his chest and stomach…something he'd felt only once before. Without him even really being conscious of the act, he felt his left hand reach up to curl loosely around his friend's hip. He gasped softly into the kiss when he felt Bucky's body react to his…a heated, subtle _throb_ between his legs.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Bucky pulled back, leaving him against the wall, panting just under his breath, and flushed like a young girl who'd just received her first kiss.

While he stood there, struggling for his composure, Bucky leaned in close to him and pressed his lips to his ear. Steve couldn't deny the delicious shudder he felt at the intimate press of skin.

"You can't _imagine_ how long I've wanted to do that," he whispered before backing away, going to stand at Loki's side. The trickster placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing possessively as he stared at Steve with that same unnerving smile.

"I daresay you enjoyed that, Captain. Something you haven't been telling everyone, hmm?"

"Just…just what did you do to him?" Steve demanded, finally managing to pull away from the wall and stand on his own. He had felt so many things just now, all of it so fast…things he didn't understand…things he wasn't ready to deal with…might not _ever_ be ready to deal with…so he focused on the task at hand: getting his best friend out of Loki's clutches.

"You want the truth, little hero? I hurt him. I put him through _Hell_. Sergeant James Barnes _suffered_ …all in _your_ name. I sincerely doubt any man has suffered as _greatly_ as he has. Does that help any? Does it somehow make you _feel_ better to know what happened? You can't change it."

Steve felt his heart break all over again upon hearing it, but he remained strong, trying not to let the hurt show. Why would Loki _do_ this? Was it…about _more_ than just needing a lackey to spring him?

"This isn't…like what you did to Barton and Selvig?"

Loki laughed. "Oh, no. This is so much _more_ than what I did to those two fools. It's what I _could_ have done, given the time. Your darling _Bucky_ is mine now, and no blow to the head will change that. His life…his very _existence_ …hang on my will."

"I'm not gonna let you do this."

"Mm, well…good luck with that, Captain Rogers. It will take much more than your conviction to save your friend's life. I think I'll hold onto this, by the way," he said, taking the mask from Bucky's hand before moving through the crowd of humans and Asgardians with his soldier at his side.

"Now, _All-Father_ ," he drawled as he came to a stop before Odin. "If you would be so kind…"

"You will not get far, my son," Odin warned him, even as he raised his hand to lift the enchantments. "You cannot leave Asgard, not without the power of the Tesseract."

"Oh, that's where you're _wrong_ ," Loki hissed gleefully. "I wasn't exactly idle in my time abroad. I've learned tricks your greatest sorcerers would blanche to behold."

"Even if you can escape…it will not be for long. The Avengers will find you," he said, standing aside to allow Loki and the Winter Soldier to pass.

"We'll see about that," Loki said. After moving a little ways down the hall, he turned back to them and raised a hand. Everyone cringed, expecting some horrible attack, but it never came. It was only Steve who was affected. In his mind's eye, he saw an image of Bucky…chained, bleeding. He saw a hand, Loki's, reach out to rest on his forehead. Then he was screaming…and as if this sight…this sound…wasn't horrible enough…after it was over, when Bucky was hanging loosely in his bonds, he whispered, so faintly it could barely be heard…

" _Help me…Steve…Steve,_ _ **please**_ _…help me…"_

With the sound of Loki's laughter in his ears, Steve woke from the nightmare to find himself on his knees, his hands trembling helplessly in his lap. When he looked up to where Loki and Bucky had been only moments before, he found them gone.

"No," he whispered, pounding his fists against the floor. " _No!_ "

_I'm sorry, Bucky. I'm so sorry I didn't help you. But I'm gonna save you now. I will find you._

"I _promise_ I'll find you," he whispered to the stone floor.

XxX

All Clint could think as he watched over Natasha was how much she would hate this situation…being the damsel in distress…the sleeping beauty…the snow white…Hell, the queen had even _dressed_ her in white. S.H.I.E.L.D. had treated her injuries as best they could, but she'd still been dressed in the blood-soaked clothes from their first battle with the Winter Soldier, so Frigga had offered to put her in something clean…which turned out to be one of her own shimmering white gowns. Clint had vaguely considered protesting, but Natasha really didn't look all that bad in the getup (after all, how often was he going to get to see her in something like this?) and how was he supposed to argue with the queen, anyway?

Natasha was currently lying in a nest of a bed, blanketed by a field of shimmering yellow energy. Frigga had explained that it was something like what the king did once every year in order to replenish his strength: the Odinsleep. The idea behind it was that the energy field slowed the time of the individual contained within it, allowing for a long period of rest and healing to be undertaken in only a few short days. While this sleep wouldn't heal her, what it _could_ do was buy her more time. It would slow the poison ravaging her body and calm her fever, perhaps soothe the intensity of her nightmares. At the very least, she hadn't had a fit since being placed in the field.

 _Don't worry, Tasha. I'm gonna fix this. They said there's a way to stop it. You're_ _**not** _ _gonna die like this. I'm not gonna_ _**let** _ _you._

"This woman is very important to you, isn't she?" he heard the queen asking. She was sitting on the side of the bed opposite him…and he could see by her face that it wasn't just sentimentality that made her ask. He'd been in this business too long not to know a thing like that. There was something shrewd in the question, though he couldn't quite discern what.

"Why do you ask?"

"I ask…because it is only your need that will save her life. Anything less will only result in her death."

Clint stared at her oddly for several moments. Before he could ask the queen what she meant, though, the others all came storming into the room.

"How'd it go?" he tried to ask over all the hubbub.

"Well, _these_ idiots let Loki get away," Tony said, having removed his head armor by this point.

" _What?_ "

"Yes… _after_ the Winter Soldier hitched a ride into Asgard with _you_ ," Thor reminded him.

"Yeah, kid learned well from his _master._ "

"Don't say that!" Steve snarled at him. "Don't you _ever_ say that!"

"Okay, Steve. Though, while we're on the subject, _is_ there something you haven't been telling us?"

"Don't."

"No need to be like that. It's all fine. Nobody cares; but if he's got something to hold over you, the rest of us might need to know that."

"Tony, that…that really isn't our business. Maybe you should just leave it alone," Bruce suggested, glancing sideways at Steve with a hint of sympathy.

"Will you all just _stop!_ " Steve shouted. "It isn't like that."

"Uh, looked pretty 'like that' from where I was standing…in more ways than one."

"What the Hell _happened_ down there?" Clint tried to cut in.

"The Winter Soldier was making out with our capsicle here."

"Oh…"

"Stop," Steve begged, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "Please…just stop. Bucky's…he's not himself right now. It…that…it didn't _mean_ anything."

The bickering finally came to a halt as they all started to see just how distraught the captain really was over the whole business.

"All right, Rogers, that's your business," Clint acknowledged. "We'll deal with it later. Asgardians, whoever feels like answering, am I correct in thinking we can't get back to Earth without the Tesseract?"

"That is so," Odin answered. "Only the power of the Tesseract could carry all of you back. I could never hope to conjure enough dark energy for the task and still maintain balance."

"Then we need to help Natasha before we can go after Loki," Steve said, finally trying to regain control of the situation. "What do we need to do?"

"Only the golden apples of Yggdrasil will cure the woman. They are the source of our longevity, and in a human, they will cure any sickness or impurity," the god explained.

"What's so tough about that?" Clint asked, remembering his words from earlier. ""Is there some monster we gotta fight?"

"No. Yggdrasil cares naught for your strength as a warrior, but for your strength as a person…as a living being. It cares only for your _need_."

"What does that mean? You said that before," the archer said, glancing over at Frigga.

"All will be revealed when you reach the tree. Thor and his companions will guide you to the root that extends into our world at the Well of Urd."

"Well?"

"Yes. The well is the home of the three Norns, the sisters who are the guardians of fate. They will test you…they and the goddess who guards the apples, Idunn."

"Test how?"

"As I said before, this is not a test of the sword, but of the spirit. Only the Norns themselves can know how they will test you."

"Question for Cyclops," Tony started, briefly raising his hand. "If you knew we needed this magic fruit, why couldn't you just go and get some?"

Odin eyed the billionaire for several moments, both irked and impressed by his insolence. "Unfortunately, Tony Stark, it does not work like that. This is not like a …trip to the grocery store," he said slowly. "You and I, for instance, have no hope of picking an apple on Natasha Romanoff's behalf. I suspect that among those of us here, only Clint Barton could manage it."

Clint didn't ask why, having a sneaking suspicion he already knew…but not quite ready to acknowledge it to himself. That tiny spark of fear wasn't going to stop him from helping Natasha, though.

"When do we leave?" he asked, directing the question at Thor.

"We can leave immediately. I thought you might feel this way, so I had horses and provisions fitted out this morning."

"Your Majesty," Steve suddenly addressed Odin before anything else could be said. "Is it…do you think it might be possible these apples could cure whatever Loki's done to my friend?"

Odin thought for several moments before answering, "It's certainly _possible_. I cannot promise anything, as I don't know what Loki actually _did_ to him. It _should_ work…but whether or not _you_ are able to pick an apple for this man is entirely dependant on you," the All-Father explained to him.

"I understand."

"Do you, Steven Rogers?"

"If I can't…save Bucky…it's no one's fault but mine," he said, his face carefully blank.

"Well…something near to that. I believe you will accept it when the time is right."

"It's settled, then," Thor said, coming over to Steve and giving him a clap on the shoulder. "I shall have another horse readied and we will depart for the well at once."

"At last, a quest!" Volstagg cheered.

"The Warriors Three have been idle for much too long," Fandral agreed. The two continued to chatter as they, Hogun, and Sif followed Thor from the room. Odin sighed, his expression caught somewhere between fondness and worry as he followed them out.

"So Einsteins, you two going or staying?" Clint asked Tony and Bruce.

"Did you hear the bit about horses? No, thank you. I'm staying right here. Gonna see if I can't work on building something portable from the Tesseract. You in, rage monster?"

"I think so," Bruce answered. "I'm not…overly fond of horses myself. Think your husband will let us rig something up, Ma'am?" he asked Frigga. The queen looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I should think so…if you think you can manage it. You've certainly proven yourselves worthy allies in the past," she said before heading out of the room, the two scientists close behind her.

"And you, Cap? You ever ridden a horse before?" Clint asked him. He knew how to ride himself, but he was adaptable. Speaking modestly, there was very little he couldn't do, or _learn_ to do, should the need arise.

"I can…honestly say I haven't," the captain said slowly, turning to look at his teammate. "I'm a city kid, Clint."

"Huh. This should be interesting, then."

XxX

It didn't take Steve _too_ long to learn the basics. When Clint followed after the god to mention that the man had never ridden a horse before, Thor made sure a mild-tempered animal was brought out for Steve. Holding the reins and allowing his horse to follow behind Clint's was easy enough…but the simplicity of the task didn't make the mighty Captain America any less wary of the thousand pounds of animal under his butt as the group rode out of the city and into the wild lands. Thor had told them the well was about a day and half's ride and Steve was already starting to get sore.

As the hours in the saddle wore on, Clint directed his horse back until he fell into step with Steve's, riding beside him.

"So what _was_ all that?" he asked, knowing he wouldn't have to elaborate.

"You heard it. Tony pretty much spelled it out," he said glumly.

"Yeah, but…why'd you get so bent outta shape?"

"Because I'm not queer," Steve responded, putting as much of a manly growl into his voice as he could manage. Clint just sighed.

"A word for the wise…most people don't use the term queer these days. It's a little insulting. Being gay isn't illegal like it was in your day."

"Gay?"

"That's the term most people use now…for homosexuality," the marksman explained, being as straightforward as he knew how to be. Ever since the argument in Odin's chamber, the phrase 'the lady doth protest too much' had been on a kind of loop in his head, but he didn't dare say anything like it out loud, as he could see just how lost and confused his colleague was right now. "And you know for a fact you don't like guys?"

"Yes."

"Ever slept with one?"

"No!" Steve snapped.

"Ever slept with a _woman?_ " Clint pressed, fairly certain he knew the answer.

Sighing, Steve glanced sideways at him. "Fine…no. I've never…I'm still…"

"Thought so. Nothing to be ashamed of, Cap. Biologically, you're still in your prime. There's still time. The point being, though, how do you _know_ what you like?"

"I've kissed a few women."

"You kissed them…or they kissed you?"

Thinking about it, Steve realized Clint was right. Every kiss he'd ever received in his life had been initiated by the other party. First that military aide…then Peggy. _He_ had never kissed anyone; _they_ had kissed him. And now there was Bucky…and if he were honest with himself, which one had he reacted to the most? Even now, remembering the heated press of Bucky's lips, he could feel a tremor sweep through his body, leaving him nearly breathless. He missed Peggy, and he felt guilty for even considering this, but he didn't remember her kiss quite this way.

"But he…he's my best friend."

"So? A relationship like that is built on friendship, isn't it?"

"Why are we even _having_ this conversation?" he suddenly found himself asking.

"You didn't hear yourself screaming in the infirmary last night," Clint said, his eyes going slightly distant as he looked at him. "You don't scream like that for someone who's just a friend. Family, siblings maybe…and lovers…screams like that are for no less than someone you _need_ …someone you can't live without."

"And how is what _I_ need any of your business?"

A wry smirk lit the archer's face at this. "I see more than enough shit in this world…and too many good things almost happen that don't. Guess I've just got a spark of sentimentality that won't die. I'm too stubborn to let the things I can do something about go."

Before Steve had the chance to say anything to this, a monstrous roar split the air and a large scaly beast burst out of the ground spitting fire.

"Woo-hoo!" Volstagg cheered as he whipped out his battleaxe. "Dragon for dinner tonight!"

Grabbing hold of Steve's reins, Clint ran their horses over to Thor.

"What was that bullshit about there not being any monsters?"

"Oh, you misunderstood, Agent Barton," the thunder god said with a manic smile. "There are no monsters specifically guarding the Well of Urd, it's true. My father said nothing of the journey there, now did he?"

"Guess not," the archer shrugged, jumping down from his horse and drawing an arrow all in one fluid motion. Steve, on the other hand, elected to remain astride his own animal as he pulled his shield forward, fearing he'd only make an idiot of himself in the dismounting.

He wasn't wrong.


	4. Neck Deep In the River

As Volstagg had predicted, the group dined well on dragon that night, and it was unlike anything Clint or Steve had ever tasted. The closest they could come in comparison was venison, but there was still something richer in the flavor.

Sif and the Warriors Three were out soon after dinner. Clint took a little longer, but he did eventually fall asleep. Steve, though, just couldn't manage it. No matter how much he tossed and turned in his bedroll, no matter how sore he was from riding a horse all day, sleep just wasn't possible…not after his conversation with Clint. So, when he happened to notice Thor slipping away from their camp, he decided to follow him.

He found the warrior prince down by a stream, sitting on the banks, idly twirling Mjolnir in his large hands.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked as he sat down beside him. Thor turned to look at him, his face barely lit by the moonlight overhead.

"No…and I doubt I shall sleep at all until we can be after Loki. And you?"

"I don't sleep much," he answered. It was mostly true, although right now, his reasons were probably more similar to his friend's.

"What has been…troubling you, Steve?" Thor finally asked him.

"I…I don't know," he answered, sighing in exasperation. "It's just…for a long time, I thought Bucky was dead…and to just see him appear like that, saying he wants to kill me…and…and then…"

"What happened today," Thor finished for him when he was unable to.

"Yeah."

"Was there…something between you in the past?"

"No," Steve insisted hastily. "Nothing like…like what you saw today, anyway."

"And is that something you regret, perhaps?" Thor pressed.

"No…I don't…didn't…I don't know," he ultimately ended up amending the statement. "It's not…done."

"Not done?" Thor asked, clearly confused.

"Men…with other men…or at least it wasn't back in my day."

"Why not?" the god asked, still not understanding.

"I don't know," he repeated uselessly. "Clint says things are different now."

"Humans are very strange," Thor said, ponderously scratching his chin. "What should be wrong with anything like that?"

"I don't know. I never really thought about it."

"And now you think…maybe you might feel something for your friend?" Thor supplied.

"I really _don't know_ ," Steve repeated the phrase that had so often been in his mouth the past two days. "What about you? You say it's all right. Have _you_ ever…slept with another man?"

"Personally, no. I've never met one I felt an attraction to, but I know Fandral is a lover of both men and women. Should you ever wish to…try it out…he did mention he found you attractive…especially after today-"

"No, no, that's…generous, but…I don't think I could do that. I hardly know the guy," Steve said, suddenly glad for the darkness, as he could feel a violent blush spreading across his face.

"If I know Fandral at all, he would say you could get to know each other better, but I believe I understand. There is something different about this Bucky, isn't there…something special."

"Yeah," Steve said. No matter what his muddled feelings were, _that_ was something he could agree with unquestionably. Bucky was special; he was different from everyone else. They had grown up together, both orphans, and later roommates when they'd been out on their own. He'd protected and cared for him throughout, even though he'd constantly tried to insist he didn't need it. Honestly, without Bucky, he never would have survived to receive the serum. He had never had a chance to tell him how _much_ he needed him. Bucky had been warmth, strength, and comfort…someone who had seen him a long time before he was Captain America. Had he unknowingly condemned him to suffering for that devotion? At the hands of Loki…at his own uncaring hands? What if…Bucky had had feelings for him even back when he was still just scrawny Steve Rogers from Brooklyn? Was that even possible?

"I have been with many women in my life…but only Jane is special. Only she can steal my breath and make my chest ache. Have you ever felt that?" he vaguely heard Thor asking him.

"Yeah…yeah, I have," he murmured without really thinking about it, remembering the moment Bucky had stolen his breath with a kiss.

Could it be? Could it really be?

XxX

" _He doesn't care for you, you know? Not the way you care for him," Loki hisses in his face._

" _You think I don't…know that?" he rasps back._

" _What were you planning to do? Stand by his side forever? Watch in abject **misery** as he married that Carter woman…started a family with her? Were you just going to pine for him forever…like some sick, loyal dog?" he asks, dragging a fingertip burning with power across his bare chest. He doesn't try to hold back the cry of pain anymore. He gave up on that a long time ago._

" _If I…could still be near him…even if…I could never be **with** him…it would have been enough."_

" _I can **make** you a dog, James. Would you like that? I can make you forget how much you love him…and you can follow **me** around instead. Wouldn't you like to forget your pain?"_

_Weakly, he shakes his head. "I don't… **wanna** forget that. I…I love him…and nothing you do is gonna change that."_

" _Oh, you poor child," Loki soothes, reaching a hand forward to stroke his cheek. "It hurts you so much, doesn't it. To be **so close** to him…and yet unable to touch him…unable to tell him how your heart **breaks** for him."_

" _I can't…do that to him…"_

_**It would break his heart.** _

" _Well…that's rather the idea, isn't it? You may not believe me, but you'll submit to me one day very soon…and when you do, you'll tell him exactly how you felt all those years, right before you rip his heart out!"_

" _STEVE!_ " the Winter Soldier shouted as he bolted awake from the nightmare. Almost immediately, Loki was at his side, pulling him into his arms.

"Shh, shh, shh," the trickster shushed him as he held him close, rocking him like a little child. "You're all right, my little soldier. You're all right."

"I…I was dreaming," he mumbled after drawing several deep breaths.

"About him?"

"A little…mostly about you, though. About…before…"

"Yes…it was a bad time. But I made you stronger, didn't I?"

"Yeah…that's the truth," he said quietly, sounding like he might cry as he rested his head on his master's shoulder.

"You're fine, little one, you're fine," Loki continued to soothe. "It was only a bad dream. You're not that person anymore…and very soon, you will make the source of that pain go away."

"You're right, Master…very soon," he agreed as Loki helped him to lie back down on his cot, a cruel smile stealing over his features. "I'll tear his heart out."

"Just dream about it, my little soldier. You're almost ready to kill him…the man who broke your heart," Loki said, nearly singing to him as he stroked his hair, staying by his side until he'd fallen back asleep.

Meanwhile, from where she was chained against the wall, Jane watched Loki's twisted version of tucking into bed in horrified fascination. What had Loki done to this man to twist him so?

XxX

As promised, the group arrived at the well late in the afternoon the following day. When they were just in sight of it, Thor halted the group.

"The two of you must continue on foot from here. It is the only respectful way to approach the Three Sisters."

"What are we going to find once we get there?" Steve asked as he stumbled down from his horse.

"I do not know. None of us have ever approached the well. There hasn't yet been a need to."

"And there they go with the need again," Clint muttered under his breath as he headed off in the direction indicated. Steve was close behind.

The Asgardians _said_ well, but the Well of Urd was more like a small lake, from which the root of a gigantic tree extended upward, high into the sky and far out of sight.

"Well, that's…different," Steve said, somewhat awed as the two of them approached the well's edge. As they drew closer, what appeared to be a young maiden shimmered into existence at the water's edge. Her skin was pale and she was clothed in a voluminous purple cloak. Long black hair flowed down her back and wide lavender eyes stared at them in curiosity.

"Hello…Clinton Barton…Steven Rogers," she said slowly.

"You know who we are?" Steve asked her.

"And why you're here," she said, her gaze shifting deliberately between the two of them. "I am Skuld, She of the Future."

"And I am Verdandi, She of the Present," another voice declared as its owner appeared beside Steve. This woman was sun-kissed, golden hair and eyes with lightly tanned skin, clothed in white, and appearing somewhat older than her sister.

"And I am Urd," a voice from behind them announced, "She of the Past."

Turning to look at the final Norn, the two men found themselves faced with an older woman, hair snowy white and eyes a piercing grey. Her skin was dark and the cloak she wore appeared to be the same black at first glance; but just when you thought to look away, the fabric seemed to splinter into a wash of multi-colored hues, like the fracturing of a beam of light.

"Odin said you would…test us," Clint said, blinking several times when he finally managed to look away from Urd.

"Not we. Yggdrasil itself will do that. We only need to ask one question…to see if you have the strength to climb the root," Verdandi explained to them.

Then the three goddesses swirled into formation, forming a circle around Clint. Urd and Skuld each rested a hand on a shoulder and Verdandi rested her hand on his heart. Several moments passed before they all asked with one voice, "Would you lay down your life?"

"Yes," the archer whispered without hesitation. If Steve didn't know better, he'd say the man had tears in his eyes.

In the next moment, the three sisters took up the same positions around him. Immediately, the world faded away and the ground sort of disappeared from under him, leaving him drifting in a kind of void.

 _You would lay down your life,_ Urd's voice sounded in his head. _There is no doubt of this._

At this, images began to fill the void: his rescue of the prisoners from that first HYDRA base…covering the grenade with his own body in boot camp…crashing the _Valkyrie_ in the ice…it was second nature to him. As physically weak and pathetic as he'd been born, he'd never had any particular sense of self-worth. He had thought himself a wasted piece of flesh. If he could give himself to something greater, then he would be happy.

_An admirable quality, to be sure…but did you ever think about what that does to the people who care about you?_

_Who cared about me…before I was strong enough to take it?_

_**He** did._

And then he saw it…Bucky's face every time he found him in a back alley…whenever he got sick…and now he could feel the emotions behind those faces, as well…the pain his friend had never given voice to.

 _You_ _**idiot!** _ _You're going to get yourself killed someday. I might not always be there to help you. You_ _**kill** _ _me, Steve…you really do._

 _Did it never occur to you,_ Urd continued, _that by valuing your own life so little, you were openly mocking everything that was important to him? Your life meant the world to that child…it still does; you were just as important to him as he was to you…and it hurt him to have to watch you deliberately try to throw that precious life away time and time again._

The image to fill the void next was Bucky's face as the HYDRA factory exploded around them.

" _Just go! Get out of here!"_

" _No! Not without **you!** "_

 _**Never** _ _without you._

_**Is it true, Buck? Is that all I've done all this time? Hurt you?** _

_Giving your life for your friend will not save him,_ Skuld continued the narrative. _In fact, in the end, it would kill him. In order to save his soul from the Trickster's power, you must do it without sacrificing that which he holds most dear…or it will have all been in vain._ _ **That**_ _is Loki's plan…to have the two of you destroy each other in the end._

 _There are many things in this universe worth dying for. You know this,_ Verdandi told him as reality slowly started to come back into focus. _You would give your life for anything you deemed worthy, but sometimes it is harder to live for something than to die for it. So the question for you becomes…_

"What is worth living for?" the three goddesses asked in their one voice.

"He…he is," Steve answered without really having to think about it. For a moment, he thought he felt moisture on his face.

The next thing he became aware of was a hand taking hold of his. Glancing down, he saw Skuld holding both his and Clint's hands in hers.

"You are both of you strong enough to admit how weak you are. That is the first step," she said with a serene smile. Without there being any noticeable shift, the five of them were suddenly standing on the root, in a little swirl of bark just above the water.

"Do you see the bend in the root? Just there?" Verdandi asked them, pointing up toward a large, tangled section of the root that looked to be hundreds of feet up. Both men nodded.

"That is where Idunn dwells, where she tends the golden apples. If you can reach her, Yggdrasil will have one final test for you," Skuld told them. "And no, Clinton, you may not use your arrows," she reprimanded him, seeing him going for one.

"Oh, well. It was worth a shot."

"No time like the present," Steve said, nodding at Verdandi before launching himself at the wall of bark. Clint eyed the distance warily for several moments before following suit.

This could take awhile.

XxX

Clint was a fan of high places, it was true, but this was undoubtedly the most arduous climb he'd ever undertaken. After a time, he simply shut down the pain receptors in his aching body, severing all sense of feeling and giving himself over to upward movement, driven on by the need to reach his goal.

By the time he climbed over the bend and onto the small sanctuary, he found that Steve was already there, only slightly out of breath.

"How…long…?" he panted, remaining crouched on his hands and knees for fear he might just seize up and collapse.

"Not too long…about fifteen minutes," the super soldier said, massaging his sore shoulders. "Don't beat yourself up."

"Too late for that," the archer groaned, giving one more labored heave of breath before rolling onto his back. "I'm just…gonna lay here and die…if that's cool with everyone."

"Well, that would be unfortunate. I see so few men of Midgard, it would be truly sad to see one of them perish at my threshold."

At the sound of the new voice, Steve jumped to his feet and Clint rolled into a sitting position. Out of a tangle of roots emerged a woman with an equally tangled mess of brown curls, her brown eyes lit with a spark of mischief. Her brown robes nearly blended into the roots she'd emerged from…except that the roots were lit with sparks of gold. Looking around now, the two men could see that the grove of roots was blossoming with golden-hued apples.

"Miss Idunn," Steve greeted, briefly standing at attention and nodding his head at the Asgardian.

"We…we need…apples," Clint choked out, still trying to catch his breath.

"Do you?" the woman asked, tilting her head curiously to the side. "And you are absolutely certain of your need?"

"Why does that matter?" Clint asked, still panting as he got to his feet. "Everyone keeps talking about need. Why's it so important?"

"Because only one who has need can pick an apple from Yggdrasil. The tree will accept nothing less. So, men of Midgard, if you are completely certain of your _need_ for what you came here for, choose an apple. Attempt to pluck it…but I must first warn you…Yggdrasil will show you things…things you do and do not wish to see. It will test you. The tree must be certain of your hearts, after all," Idunn explained to them, raising her arms to indicate they could approach the shimmering apples.

Steve didn't think too much on it, and he didn't imagine Clint did, either. He just chose an apple and went for it, wrapping his fingers around it. The moment he touched the gold-hued flesh, however, his mind was assaulted by images yet again.

Bucky…and every girl he'd ever been with…every dame he'd ever kissed…and as he relived each one, he felt that same sense of jealousy and anger he'd felt when Loki had been kissing him…but surely he hadn't been jealous of Bucky for kissing _Loki_.

That was the moment everything suddenly _clicked_ in his head; the proverbial light bulb came on. Back then he had always assumed he was jealous of his friend for getting all the girls, but that hadn't been it. It had never been _Bucky_ he was jealous of…it had been the _girls_ …the girls who had been able to taste him freely without fear. He had always mistaken his feelings toward Bucky as simply friendship…because the real thing was just so opposite from what everyone else deemed to be appropriate. He had never been able to admit it to _himself_ , much less to Bucky.

"I…I love you," he whispered, his grip on the apple tightening. "I _need_ you…I need you with me."

As the certainty grew in his heart, the apple released its hold on the root…but as the fruit snapped off in his hand, he was left with one last image…

…Bucky…dressed in the Winter Soldier garb and sneering at him as he leveled a gun to his head…

" _I want you_ _ **dead**_ _, Steve…then maybe you'll understand how it feels."_

_Did I find you…understand what I feel…only in time to lose you again?_

"No," he murmured, holding the apple close against his heart. He _couldn't_ let that happen. He _wouldn't._

"Steve?" Clint's voice was suddenly in his ears. Turning slowly, he found the marksman standing in a position similar to his own, clutching an apple protectively against his chest. Only when he saw the tear tracks on Clint's face did he feel the ones on his own. Almost simultaneously, they both reached up to swipe futilely at their cheeks.

"So," the archer continued once they'd regained some measure of composure. "You get what you need?"

"Yeah…yeah, I did. You?"

Clint nodded. At this point, they both knew they were talking about more than just the apples.

"Well…I guess we'd better get heading down. This root ain't gonna climb itself," Clint said, shuddering as he spoke.

"Can you make it?"

"Isn't a matter of 'can' or 'cannot'. Never has been," he said absently as he headed for the lip of the grove. "It's a matter of 'will'."

"Admirable a sentiment as that is, you won't need to worry about that," Idunn said, the same smile Skuld had offered them earlier adorning her face. "You've come far enough, proven yourselves…I'd say you've earned a little help."

With that, the goddess moved to a strand of root and pressed her lips to an apple. Then she turned to face them and blew them a kiss. Magic borne on a warm breeze swept over them…and the next moment, they found themselves back with Thor and the others.

"Were…were you successful?" Thor asked, Mjolnir halfway drawn at their sudden appearance. Proudly, both adventurers held up their prizes.

"We must be off then," Fandral said. "There are maidens in need of assistance."

"You know," Clint said as he slowly mounted his horse, still in pain from the climbing, "I almost _want_ to see what she does to you if I tell her you called her a maiden."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No idea how the Norns, Idunn, the apples, or Yggdrasil are portrayed in the comics. This is just my own little rendition for my own purposes. Now the mystical elements are mostly out of the way, we can get back to gun-slinging and explosions. Though, on the subject of mystical elements, I gotta say, I found myself using the word 'shimmer' a great deal more than I usually do in any situation. Well…what can you do? Asgard's a shimmery place.


	5. Shadowland

One would think, given the oddities of her life in recent years, that Doctor Betty Ross would be used to things like people knocking on her door in the middle of the night…but does one ever really get used to such things?

Thinking it could be Bruce, Betty was out of bed and at the door quickly, but was disappointed to find three women on her front porch instead of one man…three _military_ women from the looks of it. _God,_ if her father had something to do with this-

"Dr. Ross?" the woman who appeared to be the leader addressed her.

"All right, let's just cut to the chase. If you're looking for Dr. Banner, he's not here."

"We know that. In fact, we're well aware of Dr. Banner's current whereabouts. What we really came here for is _you_."

"Me?" she asked, taking several steps back. "Who…who _are_ you?"

"Maria Hill, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. We are here to take you into protective custody, Dr. Ross."

"What?"

"Dr. Banner is currently working with us and we believe a known S.H.I.E.L.D. enemy has made a threat against your life. We need to leave immediately."

"How…how do you mean threat?"

Before any of the agents could answer, a bullet exploded in the wall over the door.

"Like that," the youngest of the agents, a girl with dark, curly hair, answered her as she shoved her away from the door. As she and the last agent, a woman with long, auburn hair, entered the house, they each drew guns. Agent Hill's weapon was already drawn and trading gunfire with their assailant as she backed into the house.

"You're not gonna outgun me, sweetheart," a voice called from the darkened street. "You may as well hand her over now…or a lot of people are gonna die."

"What's going on?" Betty demanded.

"Stay down," the dark-haired agent ordered her, offering her a slightly loopy grin. "The good guys are about to lay down some heat."

"Agent Lewis! Protect Dr. Ross!" Agent Hill barked at her, taking cover behind the door and continuing to return fire.

"You got it, boss chick."

"Agent Carter, we need backup."

"Already on their way," the woman called Carter answered.

"Then scout out the back. We need to get her out of here."

"Right away," Agent Carter acknowledged, heading toward the back of the house.

"I know you're in there, Betty Ross," the voice from outside called to her. "No one _has_ to die. It's all on you if they do."

"Don't listen to him," Agent Hill said, her voice firm as she tossed aside a spent gun and whipped out another.

"Who is that?" Betty asked the girl called Agent Lewis.

"The Winter Soldier. He's one of Loki's guys…y'know, the one who's made a "threat against your life"."

"I can _see_ those quotation marks, Agent Lewis," Maria ground out. "This is serious."

"Hey, I'm doing what you said. I'm protecting the doctor. I'm keeping her calm."

Maria shook her head, keeping up her barrage. "Why on Earth did I think this would be a good mission to field test you on?"

"'Cuz you didn't think the soldier guy was gonna get the jump on us," Agent Lewis reminded her pleasantly.

"God, you two boys can make out later," Agent Carter reprimanded them as she moved back into the front room. "We can cut through the back fences if you can-"

Whatever she'd been about to say was cut off when one of the front windows shattered and a bullet sailed through, clipping the agent on her left side.

"Sharon!" Agent Lewis shouted as she sank to her knees, clutching her side.

"Oh, I hit someone, didn't I," their assailant called from outside. "Y'know, I'm gettin' bored out here. I'm just gonna come have a look."

With that, the Winter Soldier just appeared, right there in the front hallway. Almost instantly, he and Maria were aiming at each other. Keeping his gun trained on the agent, he glanced down at Agent Carter. No one but her could see it, but the moment he laid eyes on her, a slowly smoldering rage began to burn in those eyes. Bending down, he wrapped his free hand around her throat…the hand that was still flesh and blood.

She was a different person, of course, but the genetic resemblance was still there. The same face…the same large eyes and full lips…and the auburn hair, though a shade lighter, framed the face in just the same way. She may as well have been Peggy all over again…and he found he couldn't stand the thought of her breathing for another minute. He would wipe all trace of that woman from the face of the _planet!_

"You're…very much like her," he growled at her. "Agent Sharon _Carter_."

"So I've…been told," she choked out, her fingers scrabbling futilely at his iron grip.

"I know you're her great niece…but did _she_ ever have any kids?"

"Why should I…tell _you?_ "

"Because if you _do_ ," he hissed, standing and lifting her into the air so she dangled above the ground, "I _might_ let you live a little longer."

"One daughter," Sharon finally answered, still struggling for breath, "but she died…in a car accident," she finished, seeing what the maddened soldier was getting at.

"Heh, all right. S'pose I can live with that. At least I'll get to kill _one_ of you," he said, switching his gun for one of the poisoned blades in a movement so quick, it was hardly visible, "… _slowly._ "

A brief spark of fear lit Sharon's eyes as he raised the blade to her face. She had, after all, seen what these things could really do. However, before the mercenary could proceed to carve up her face like a Thanksgiving turkey, two things happened at once. Maria fired her gun, but when the bullet struck his left forearm, it simply ricocheted, burying itself in the far wall. The bullet that Agent Lewis fired found its target, but it didn't have quite as much of an effect as the young agent had hoped.

The Winter Soldier grunted briefly in pain when the bullet struck him in the shoulder. He even released Sharon, but he didn't go down. For several minutes, he just stood there laughing, blood trickling down his back with a bullet in his shoulder. Slowly, he turned to the other two agents, his gaze shifting between them.

"Fury didn't tell you what you were fighting, did he. Hell, he probably doesn't even know himself."

Removing his jacket as he spoke, the man revealed that it wasn't just his hand made out of the strange, silvery metal…but his entire left _arm_.

"Like it?" he asked them. "Loki made it for me. Pretty much bullet-proof, and it can handle spells a human arm couldn't. Wanna see what it can really do?"

"Uh…not really, no," Agent Lewis said, making sure to keep herself in front of Betty. The soldier glanced at her briefly, offering her a smirk.

"Too bad."

However, before he could unleash his demonstration, lights flooded the house and the sound of a helicopter could be heard overhead.

"Winter Soldier," a voice amplified by a bullhorn came from outside, "You are advised to surrender yourself at once, or we will use force."

The mercenary actually laughed at this. "Well, I _did_ promise a lot of people would die. Guess I should deliver on that. If you'll excuse me, ladies," he finished before stepping out the door, announcing, "All right, gentlemen, you caught me."

"Those…those men," Sharon groaned as Maria hurried to her side to help her up, "they're going to get themselves killed."

"They knew what they were signing up for," the agent said as she helped her colleague to the back door, Betty and Agent Lewis close behind. "Our mission is to get Dr. Ross to safety. Agent Lewis?"

"Yup?"

"I'll lead out. You cover our escape."

"On it."

"Agent Lewis?" Betty started to ask as Maria kicked down several planks in the neighboring fence.

"You can drop the 'Agent' thing, Ms. Betty. Darcy's my name," she said, keeping her gun trained on the darkness at their backs.

"All right…Darcy…where are we going?"

"Uh…I'm not really supposed to tell you that…but you're gonna get to see Mr. Banner again."

Well, that, at least, was some good news. She did, however, have to wonder if it was worth it to be involved in all this again when she started to hear the screams and explosions echoing in the night.

XxX

It was near sunset of the next day when the group returned to the city. Clint didn't waste a minute. He leapt from his horse and headed straight for the room where he'd left Natasha lying.

"How is she?" he demanded upon bursting into the chamber like a whirlwind, followed quickly by Steve, Thor, and the others. Frigga, Odin, and Bruce were all gathered at her bedside.

"She's beginning to slip," Frigga told him. "We were beginning to fear you wouldn't return in time. Did you get the apple?"

Holding the golden fruit up, Clint rushed to the bed and climbed up beside his partner. Being gentle, he lifted her head slightly and pressed the apple to her lips…but the only response she gave was to groan in pain, her head lolling hopelessly to the side.

"Come on, Nat. Don't do this to me," he muttered, trying once again to hold the fruit to her mouth. When she failed to respond, the archer brought the apple to his own mouth and took a bite, beginning to chew.

It had the taste of an apple, but there was also something more to it…something of summer, of spice…of warmth. He nearly had to resist the urge to swallow the bit of apple himself. Instead, he pressed his lips to hers, gently opening her mouth with his tongue and offering her the chewed bit of fruit that way.

For an endless moment, the Black Widow just lay still…but then Clint saw the movement of muscle in her neck and jaw that indicated she was beginning to swallow.

"Come on," he continued to plead with her. "Swallow it."

When she finally did, he chewed her another mouthful, offering it to her in the same way. Clint gave her two more bites of apple in this way before she was able to start biting into the fruit herself.

Once the apple was picked down to the core and Natasha was breathing easier, she finally opened her eyes. Clint offered her a wry smile before resting his forehead against hers.

"You fucking _kissed_ me awake, Barton…with a god damn _apple_ ," she murmured, her lips nearly touching his. The irony in her voice was thick, but Clint could still feel the smile on her face.

"Something like that, yeah."

"And the others are all watching, aren't they."

"Yup."

"Is Stark there?"

"Yes, yes, he is, actually," Tony answered for him. They all looked back to see the billionaire leaning casually against the doorway. No one had even noticed him enter, but when Natasha acknowledged him, he strode into the room. "Good show, by the way. Got our very own fairy tale theatre going here. Just a few more princesses to be rescued from the evil fairy's tower….or maybe I should make that a princess and a queen."

The Asgardians didn't get it, and neither did Steve or Natasha, having missed several days' worth of important information…but Bruce and Clint just rolled their eyes.

"So maybe we should get back to that, yeah? Along with giving said evil fairy a good swift kick up the ass?" Tony suggested, sounding almost hopeful.

"Were you guys able to rig something up?" Steve asked the two scientists.

"Yeah, pretty easy stuff," Tony said, producing a device from his pocket. "As someone once said, I could do something like this in a cave with a box of scraps. No thing at all with the right equipment."

"We had best get to it, then," Thor said.

"What happened?" Natasha asked them, slowly sitting up. Clint pulled back slightly.

"The Winter Soldier helped Loki escape from Asgard. He hitched a ride in with us when we brought you here for treatment and to question the bastard about the appearance of the Winter Soldier," he explained to her.

"Oh…well, we'd better get on that. He's probably causing all sorts of chaos. Uh…Barton…what is this?" Natasha asked, really seeing what she was wearing for the first time as she climbed out of the bed.

"Oh, that's…em…ah…"

"You needed a change of clothing," Frigga explained when Clint was unable to.

"Ah…thank you very much," the Black Widow said slowly as she looked over the flowing, shimmery white garment. Finally, she asked Tony, "Are we leaving now?"

"That was kinda the idea, yeah."

"All right. In that case, Clint, straps, if you don't mind," the assassin ordered brusquely, offering her back to her partner, who quickly moved to undo the fancy lacing on the gown. Once it was loosened, Natasha daintily stepped out of the garment and offered it to the queen, leaving her in nothing but her black undergarments. "I couldn't possibly take such a fine dress from you, Your Majesty."

"Oh, you…you didn't have to…it would have been fine," Frigga struggled to explain, slightly flustered by the display. Odin kept his face carefully blank, while the Warriors Three eyed the woman with renewed interest. Thor, Sif, and Tony all chuckled quietly while Steve's eyes widened in slight shock and he quickly glanced away. Bruce looked trapped somewhere between Steve's shock and their other colleagues' amusement. Clint just shook his head, his eyes bright with silent mirth and relief. She was back…he had his Tasha back.

As the Avengers all gathered around Tony, Sif suddenly asked, "Stark? How many will that device of yours carry?"

"No way to know until we try it. It's drawing power from the Tesseract, so it should be able to take a lot of stress. Why? Volunteering to join the guinea pigs?"

"I am at that," she said boldly, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. "I wish to join you in this quest to stop Loki. He is a threat to everyone."

Not to be outdone, the Warriors Three also stepped forward.

"We would join you, as well," Volstagg announced. "We will see this through to the end."

"We would be glad of your help, my friends. That is…so long as there are no objections," Thor said, glancing at the others. Tony just shrugged.

"Come on, kids. Get in the car and let's see if she starts up," he said.

"We could always use the help," Steve said, smiling at the four warriors he'd come to know better over the past few days.

Once everyone was gathered together, Tony twisted a few dials on his small, circular device, which glowed an even brighter blue at its heart as he worked.

"All right, last chance to get off the ride," Tony warned them. No one said anything. "Okay, I'll take that as informed consent to the experiment. Blasting off in five, four, three, two…one."

With that, he gave the outermost dial a final turn and a wash of blue energy burst outward from the tiny device, engulfing them and pushing them back through the inter-dimensional gateway…until they all came crashing right back into the same circular enclosure they'd departed from.

"God, anyone else's ears ringing?" Tony asked, shaking his head from side to side. "'Cuz my ears are ringing pretty bad…like a god damn bell choir in here."

"Yeah, you're gonna have to work on that," Bruce informed him.

"Well…welcome back to the lot of you," a familiar voice said. They all looked up to see Erik Selvig still hard at work at the controls. "You've got a fair sight more with you than when you left."

"Tony!" Pepper's voice shouted. The group glanced toward the glass door to see it flung open by a very agitated Pepper Potts. She rushed to Tony and slapped him before wrapping her arms around his neck. "You've been gone for days, you idiot!"

"Glad to see you, too, crazy girlfriend who abuses me."

There was some chuckling over the greeting…but the next voice to come from the door elicited no such reaction.

"Bruce?"

The frazzled doctor slowly looked up at the sound of the voice, seeing the absolute last person he expected to see.

"Betty?" he whispered. For several minutes, they just stared at each other, but then Betty rushed forward, practically throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms around him. He returned the embrace just as fiercely, if not still a little shocked. "What…what's going on here?"

"Well, what with girlfriends and lovers and the like all getting kidnapped and brainwashed and all other manner of unpleasantness," Fury began to explain as he entered the chamber, "we thought we'd better be proactive in keeping the rest of them safe. Miss Potts was already here with us, so I decided to have Dr. Ross brought here, as well. Turns out it was a good idea."

"Why?" Bruce asked, already suspicious.

"The Winter Soldier nearly beat us to her," Maria explained, entering the chamber not far behind the director. "Agent Carter was nearly killed and he slaughtered two choppers full of men."

"God," Steve whispered.

"He tried to come after _you?_ " Bruce asked Betty. When she nodded, the man's gaze flickered toward Steve for a moment. It didn't last long, but Steve knew what he saw in those eyes…a moment of pure rage, untainted by any form of control.

It lasted barely a second, but Steve knew what he'd seen. One by one, his friends were turning against him, making it clear that if Loki pushed him too far, they would not help him rescue Bucky. He would be on his own…on his own against all the other Avengers…and he was only slightly horrified to realize that he _would_ fight them all for Bucky…and he would _win._

XxX

"I'm sorry, Master. I failed you," the Winter Soldier said as he dropped to one knee before Loki, who had been toying around with Jane's head as she lay unconscious on an exam table.

"Mm, you allowed your hatred for the Carter woman to get in the way of your mission. Although…your hatred is quite understandable, given what her ancestor put you through."

"Punish me as you see fit, Master."

"Oh, I will, my little soldier, but I think I have a better plan in mind just now…one that will allow you to redeem yourself, have your vengeance, _and_ allow me to destroy the Avengers all in one blow."

"What is it?" the mercenary asked, finally looking up at his master.

"All in good time, little one. I just need to finish my work with her first."

XxX

Once Natasha had properly clothed herself, the Avengers and their allies found themselves seated around a conference table discussing how best to proceed with the situation.

"Didn't you say your machines could detect the Winter Soldier's energy?" Volstagg asked Fury. "Why could they not do so again?"

"First of all, it was _Loki's_ energy the sensors picked up, not the Winter Soldier's. We got several readings on what his energy output looks like during our last battle with him, but that's the _only_ time we've ever been able to get a read on him with our tech. Otherwise, he keeps himself hidden."

"It's as Heimdall has said," Thor explained to his friend. "My brother cannot be seen if he does not _wish_ to be seen."

"Our thinking right now is that our equipment was only able to pick up the Winter Soldier that first time because Loki _wanted_ us to see him," Maria explained. "He wanted us to know he wasn't completely neutralized."

"So…you're saying that at this juncture, our only option is to sit back and wait for Loki la loco to make a move?" Tony asked.

"Have you got a better plan, Mr. Stark?" Fury asked him.

"Well, there's gotta be _something_."

"Uh…guys?" Darcy interrupted them as she entered the conference room. "You might want to see this."

"Agent Lewis, I don't know if you'd noticed, but we're in the middle of a meeting just now," Maria said irately.

"No, you…you really might wanna see this," Darcy pressed. "We've got trouble out front."

Accessing the main security feed and displaying it on a screen on the wall, the feed revealed the Winter Soldier standing just outside the station…and he wasn't alone, either. In his arms, he held an unconscious Jane.

"Bucky."

"Jane."

"Steve!" the image on the screen shouted. "I know you're in there, Steve! Come out and play!"

"Well…looks like la loco made a move," Bruce said.

Not wasting anymore time, Steve stood from the table and headed toward the door Darcy had left open.

"Cap, wait," Fury ordered, also standing, along with most of the others. "You _know_ Loki wouldn't send him here unless he had some kind of scheme."

"Yeah. And?"

When Fury could provide no answer, Steve turned on his heels and headed toward the main entrance with the others close behind. He nearly wrenched the large doors open himself when they were slow in opening.

Bucky was waiting for him when he barged out of the station, a nasty grin on his face.

"Hello, again."

"Why did you come here?"

"My master's offering a trade."

"What kind of trade?"

"You for her. They can have her back, completely unharmed, so long as you come with me now," he explained, his grin widening a little.

"And what does Loki want with me?"

"Not much. It's more what _I_ want with you. I'll let you talk it over with your _friends_ if you want," he said, passing the unconscious woman to the captain.

"You're just giving her to me? How do you know I'll come back?"

"You'll come back, Steve. I _know_ you. You uphold deals like this, even if it's downright stupid. But even if that weren't the case…you _want_ to come with me. You _want_ to confront my master. Even if you _know_ it's a bad move…it's what you _want_ ," he hissed at him.

Sighing, Steve allowed his shoulders to slump in defeat. "You're right. You're _right._ I'll be back," he said, turning to carry Jane back to the others. Thor immediately took her from him.

"What is this?" Erik asked. "He's just…giving her back to us? What's that snake done to her?"

"Nothing…or so he says…and he's not just giving her back. It's a trade: me for her."

"No way, Cap. I am _not_ letting you put yourself in that position," Fury said, as if that decided the matter.

"Sorry, Sir, but that isn't your call."

"The _Hell_ it ain't!"

"What are you going to do? Fight me?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow. "Get the others to fight me? They won't do it. They _get_ it. I _have_ to do this. It's the only way," he said before giving the apple he still held to Clint.

"What- what are you doin'?" the archer asked him.

"It isn't the right time. If I take this with me now, Loki's just going to take it from me before I can give it to Bucky. You think he doesn't know what this is? You'll have to get it to me some other way…when I can get him away from Loki."

"All right," Clint said after several moments of hesitation, tucking the golden fruit into his pocket, "but you damn well better stay alive until I get it to you."

"Sure thing."

"Steve…do you _really_ think you can handle the things Loki can dish out? You won't have any help. It'll be just you and him," Fury reminded him, trying to change his mind one last time.

"I probably can't…but it's not a matter of 'can' or 'cannot'," he said, glancing at Clint one last time before turning to walk back to Bucky. "It's a matter of 'will'."

"Ready?" Bucky asked when Steve was finally at his side again.

"I'm ready," Steve said calmly, taking the hand that Bucky offered to him.

"You have no idea what you've done," the Winter Soldier hissed in his ear as he pulled him close against his side.

In the moments before they vanished, Steve clung tightly to Bucky, pretending…even if only for a moment…that they were really together again…just holding each other.

Then there was only darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who happens to think Darcy isn't exactly S.H.I.E.L.D. material, need I remind you that she was the one who tasered Thor? There's something lurking there.
> 
> So…what horrors does the good captain face? Just what did Loki do to Bucky…and how is he able to use magic? It's all revealed in the next chapter!


	6. Endless Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...remember that rape warning I posted? Yeah...

When Steve and the Winter Soldier materialized out of the void, Steve barely managed to stay on his feet, but that didn't really matter, as he was soon shoved to his knees and his head smashed harshly against a pole. Someone grabbed his hands and bound them in front of him so he was trapped against the pole. Catching a dizzy glimpse of his restraints, they looked to be little more than silken rope, but when he struggled against them, they didn't give. They were stronger than anything he'd ever come up against.

"Those fetters are dwarf-made," Loki's voice sounded in his ear. "They can certainly withstand even _your_ strength. I know there's no need to restrain you. You're not going anywhere…but this is my little soldier's wish."

"What did you do to him?" Steve asked yet again as the trickster's face slowly came into focus. "Why him?"

"Because he was _your_ friend, Steven…no other reason. I had my ways of seeing inside S.H.I.E.L.D., and when I learned about Fury's little Avengers' Initiative, I learned everything I could about each prospective candidate. I had strings to pull on every single one of them…but then _you_ came along…a man out of time. How was I to hold you enthralled to me? The answer came slowly…as I learned what my allies had to teach me. Time isn't linear, as most beings think. It's more like a ball, and if you touch the proper surface you can rewrite time. Nothing major, of course, the changes you make have their costs, one way or the other…but pulling one man out of time, the cost was small, simply an arm. My change wasn't even felt in the time line until seventy years had come and gone," Loki explained as he circled him. All the while, Bucky stood in front of him, just watching.

"But what did you _do?_ " Steve repeated, struggling not to reveal how much Loki's words had stung him. "This isn't the Bucky I knew."

"Ah, yes…that. Well, Captain Rogers, the best way to create something new is to first _destroy_ what's already there. I set out to turn James Barnes into my own personal weapon…and you would have been proud of him at first. He resisted every ounce of pain and illusion I unleashed on him, struggling valiantly, like a loyal soldier and friend, but…the time did begin to wear on him and eventually…the dear boy began to share _such secrets_ with me," Loki said, coming to a halt at Bucky's side and running a teasing hand down his right shoulder. "He confessed to me…that he would never give in to me because he _loved_ you. He _knew_ it was wrong, but he loved you anyway. You are the only person he's ever loved…and he's known it since the very first time he was with a woman. He couldn't perform; he couldn't get off until he imagined _your_ skin against his lips…his name from _your_ mouth. That was when he was forced to admit to himself what he felt for you…even though you were like brothers…best friends. He was never going to tell you, though…because he didn't want to make you unhappy, and he knew you would have been when you couldn't return his feelings."

Every word was a dagger in him…twisted even deeper by the fact that had Bucky come out to him back then, it probably would have gone just as Loki said.

"Did you know he enlisted because he _wanted_ to die?" Loki hissed in his ear.

"No," Steve whispered, keeping his eyes on his friend. "Buck… _no_."

"It's true. He _knew_ he could never be with you…never have you…so he thought to go off to war…to die bravely in battle for his country and for the man he loved…to keep you alive…from ever _needing_ to fight…and because he just couldn't live with the pain of his unrequited love anymore. But then _you_ showed up at the factory that night…a whole new man…and it became worse than ever before."

"How?"

"You are human perfection, Captain. The _dames_ started to notice you…and you to notice _them_. That night Peggy Carter came looking for you in the pub…he seriously considered just drinking himself to death that night…walking off a bridge…getting behind the wheel of a car…he even thought about putting a gun in his mouth. Every time you and Carter looked at each other…whenever you pulled out that ridiculous picture…he fantasized about putting his gun to his temple and pulling the trigger."

"James…?" he said softly, using the man's real name to let him know how serious he was…to try and get through to him. "Why? Why didn't you tell me you were suffering like this?"

"Would you have listened?" the Winter Soldier asked, his expression twisting into something poisonous.

" _Yes_ ," he said, feeling himself on the verge of tears, but before he could say anything more, Loki stepped back in.

"He actually would have been just as content to live or die that day on the train…but that was when _I_ stepped in. Unfortunately…he _did_ prove to be right in the end," the Asgardian said, his face souring slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"I _couldn't_ torture him into turning against you. Nothing I did could turn him from you. His love proved too strong for something as fleeting as pain. He had known _pain_ all his life, after all. So I was forced into a more… _drastic_ course of action."

"What did you do?"

At this, Loki came to a stop behind the Winter Soldier and seized him by the hair, yanking his head back and placing his other hand over his eyes. The soldier cried out briefly before going silent and falling to his knees. When Loki removed his hands, Bucky just stared unseeingly ahead, almost as if he were in a trance.

"Bucky!"

"I used a combination of my own hypnotic power and the poison Nidhogg's Fire. With the proper dosage, it won't kill a human, but it _will_ induce powerful hallucination. I convinced him you'd known of his feelings all that time and hadn't cared…that you'd left him to die that day in the mountains…that he meant absolutely _nothing_ to you."

"That's not true!"

"Scream it all you want, Captain. He can't hear you right now. I thought it best to explain this to you while he's in this state. You see, even _this_ didn't completely break him. Some part of him still clung to his love for you, and as a result of the treatment, he developed…what do you call the condition…dual personalities."

"You mean…he's still in there somewhere?" Steve asked, a small note of hope flickering in his voice.

"Just so…but don't count on just getting rid of one of them. I can switch them about at my own pleasure…and the original personality grows weaker with every switch. Someday very soon it will die completely and all that will remain will be my lovely Winter Soldier…the man who _kills_ Captain America."

"You can't… _do_ this to him. He's suffered enough. If you want to kill me, just kill me! Don't go through him. Just let him go. _Please!_ "

"You misunderstand, Captain. It isn't enough simply to _kill_ you. You must _suffer_ first. I don't care about your pathetic little world anymore. I just want all of you to _suffer_. You will drown in anguish _long_ before you die…and your dearest love will deliver it to you. Yes, Steve Rogers, I see the truth," Loki said, smiling at the look of shock that blossomed on his face. "You _love_ him. You always did…just as he loved you…and he will know it in the moment he takes your life from you."

"Take me in Bucky's place," Steve offered without even thinking. "Take my life for his. Just…don't make him kill me."

"N…no."

Both Steve and Loki glanced back at Bucky. He was still trapped in the trance-like state, didn't seem to have moved even a little…but he was definitely the one who had spoken.

"Bucky! Bucky, can you hear me?" Steve shouted. "I _know_ you're still in there, Buck! You _have_ to wake up!"

"Steve…?" he whispered slowly. This time they both saw him speak. "Steve…Steve…you…you came…"

"That's right, Bucky. I _did_ come," he soothed as Loki moved back toward him. "I came to rescue you, but I can't do it alone. I _need_ you."

Growling in annoyance, Loki placed a hand back over Bucky's eyes. When his hand fell away, the Winter Soldier was behind them once more.

"No. No, Bucky, _please!_ "

"We've been through this already, Steve," the soldier snarled as he got to his feet. "That _isn't_ my name."

"I think it's time you got to it," Loki said to his puppet, smiling as his gaze turned back to the bound Avenger.

"Yes, Master."

"Did you know my little soldier's almost as strong as you are now?" Loki asked him as Bucky moved into position behind him. "Dr. Zola accomplished more than any of you realized with his experiments. Your friend might have actually survived his fall if I'd left him to his fate. The effects of the man's experiments just weren't quite as…apparent as the work done on you. I simply built on the foundation Zola left. He's my own little super soldier, and in some ways, he's even surpassed you. Once he was mine, I taught him magic. He'll never be anywhere near as powerful as an Asgardian sorcerer, but it still serves my purpose…and it will serve his tonight," the trickster finished, fading into the shadows of whatever room they were in.

"Buck, what…what's going on?" Steve asked, trying to turn around to get a glimpse of his friend. He didn't need to see him, though…when he suddenly felt him kneeling between his legs. His breath caught in his throat when he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his waist, holding him against a well-toned chest.

"Bucky…?" he whispered, his throat suddenly going dry.

"I want to hurt you…but Loki says the best way to do that is to make you enjoy it," he said to him, gently licking the back of his ear. Steve couldn't help but shudder in response…even though he couldn't deny he was afraid right now.

"What…what are you gonna do?" he couldn't help asking, even though he was fairly certain he already knew.

"I'm gonna make you _mine_ , Steve. No one else is ever gonna _touch_ you again," he murmured, pressing his lips to Steve's neck just below the ear. At this simple touch, the mighty Captain America let out a helpless whimper…like the virgin he was.

"Ooh, you _liked_ that, didn't you?" the soldier asked as he slipped his hands beneath the layers of Steve's uniform, roving teasingly over the taut muscles of his stomach.

"Nngh…Buck…Bucky…" he groaned, starting to pant as his friend's hands wandered even further upward. When they came to his nipples, tweaking and teasing, Steve felt himself grow hard almost instantly at the sensation. Upon hearing the loud moan that accompanied his action, the mercenary reached his silver hand down, loosening Steve's pants and slipping a hand inside to gently cup the erection.

"Damn. You really _do_ like this. Who would have thought Captain America was such a little _slut?_ "

Steve couldn't deny it. He _did_ like it. He _did_ want this…only he didn't want it like _this…_ with Bucky half out of his mind and Loki watching somewhere from the shadows. At the same time, though, he was so lost in the completely new sensations, he couldn't muster up the sense to protest. He could only moan helplessly in Bucky's arms as the other man touched him, making him writhe. It wasn't until Bucky had the uniform down around his knees and he was completely exposed to him that he really began to feel the magnitude of the situation.

"Bucky…no…don't," he finally managed to groan, struggling against the feelings of pleasure in his body…against the want, the _ache_ he felt for his friend. "Don't do this. _Please._ "

"You can't hide from me, Steve. You _want_ this," he whispered in his ear. "And you have no _idea_ how long I've wanted it…to just bend you over a table and break you in _half_."

"I don't – _Aagh!_ " Whatever Steve had been about to say was cut off by his cry of pain as something was shoved into him from behind. As the intruders shifted around inside him, he began to realize they were Bucky's fingers.

"What are…you doing?" he asked, trembling in a mix of pleasure and pain.

"Stretching you. Trust me, if I just barged right in, it wouldn't be any fun for anyone. I know…I've had lots of practice."

There was an implication somewhere in that statement, but Steve was much too off-balance to figure out what it was. Just when pleasure was starting to win out over pain, Bucky withdrew…and Steve felt something larger and hotter press up against him.

"Just relax, Steve," he soothed as he began to move. "It gets better."

At first, there was only pain, pain unlike anything he'd ever known in his life…even unlike the day he'd become Captain America…but as his body slowly got used to the sensation, healed from the tearing, he began to feel that Bucky was moving in and out of him easily. Then, suddenly, the other man struck something deep inside of him and he actually cried out as a wave of nearly sickening pleasure swept through him. His cock throbbed painfully in Bucky's hand, begging for release.

Steve felt it when Bucky finished in him. He bit into his shoulder as he came, his only sound a small, satisfied grunt. Steve, on the other hand, was left hanging, still trapped in the soldier's web of lust and _need_.

"You know, Steve," Bucky began quietly, his voice still heady with desire as he held him, stroked him, "if your first time had been with anyone else, you would have gotten off in less than a minute, but it's different with me. I can keep you right on the edge here just as long as I want."

"Ungh…Buck… _please_ …I can't…I…" he begged, in agony and ecstasy all at once.

"Whaddya say? Want me to make you come?"

"Y-yes…hngh…ah," he panted, twisting erratically against the hand that held him. His entire body was on fire at this point and he would do just about anything to quench that fire.

"All right," he said, pressing a kiss to his cheek before finally releasing him.

The cry Steve gave as he came was almost embarrassing. His body went rigid for a moment before going limp in Bucky's arms, his cum spilling onto the floor in one quick burst, leaving him feeling drained once it was over. When Bucky released him, he collapsed against the pole he was still bound to, breathing hard and shaking all over.

"Like the show, Master?" Bucky asked as he moved away from him. Glancing vaguely off to his left, Steve found that one of the walls was actually a cell door. Loki was standing on the other side of the door, leering.

"Indeed, I enjoyed it immensely, my little one. It was beautifully done. There is just one more thing I'd like you to do for me before I leave you alone for the night."

At this, Loki drew Bucky close and whispered something in his ear. Then Bucky returned to Steve and unbound one of his hands, re-securing the loose end to the pole. Steve was still too much in shock to really do anything. That done, Bucky went back to Loki, who reached through the bars and stroked his cheek.

"Good. Now turn to face him. I want him to see this," he said. The Winter Soldier quickly complied. Once he'd done as ordered, Loki reached through the bars once again, laying his hand over the mercenary's eyes. When he pulled his hand back, Bucky crumpled silently to his knees. Steve couldn't quite see if he was in the trance state or not, as he was staring at the floor.

"What did you do?" Steve asked, his voice angry, but still unsteady.

"Simply switched personalities. I want our dear soldier to see his good work," he said before turning and disappearing.

For several moments, both men were utterly, devastatingly silent. To Steve, it felt like hours before he was able to pluck up the courage to call out to him.

"Bucky? Can you hear me?"

He was slow to do it, but Bucky did manage to look up at him…and it _was_ Bucky this time…lost, broken, horrified, but still _Bucky_ , not the Winter Soldier.

"Steve?"

XxX

Jane was rushed to the med ward the moment the Winter Soldier had vanished with Steve. As the man had said, she didn't seem to be physically injured, save for a few burns from the machine she'd been strapped into. They were all still wary, just the same. They knew too well how Loki could play with the mind.

The moment she woke up, Thor was at her side, taking her hand in his.

"Jane…how are you feeling?"

"Hey, Thor," she mumbled, still a little woozy. "What…what happened?"

"How much do you remember?"

"I remember…Bucky…and that machine," she said, shuddering at the memory. "Loki was there…and then I woke up here."

"You don't know where you were?"

"No idea. I only ever saw the inside of the place. What _did_ happen, though? Did you guys get Loki?"

"No. A bargain was made," Thor said, his expression solemn.

"What kind of bargain?"

"Loki gave you back to us…on the condition that Steve return with the Winter Soldier as a hostage."

"Oh, God," Jane whispered, lifting one arm to cover her face with it.

"You mustn't blame yourself, Jane. He was the one to make the decision."

"No, that's…I _know_ he didn't do it because of me. He did it for Bucky…but I don't know if he can help him. It might be too late."

"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it yet," Thor said as he got up from his place beside her head. You ought to rest in the meantime. I shall summon a doctor…and I know Fury wants to speak with you."

Thor didn't see it as he walked away, but as Jane watched him go, her eyes darkened…hardened into something cold and dark…and an eerie smile turned up the corners of her mouth.

XxX

For several minutes, all Bucky seemed to be capable of was staring at him. Those scant seconds he stared into his eyes, he seemed to almost be smiling…but then his gaze took in the rest of him and his face twisted in anguish.

"What…what did I…I didn't…what have I done?"

"Do you…remember?"

Bucky first nodded, then shook his head, his eyes bright with unshed tears. "It's all…kinda fuzzy when he takes over. Everything's…pain and hate…and I believe it…but at the same time I _know_ it's not me. It's him…but I…he…I didn't… _want_ to do that to you."

"It's all right, Bucky," Steve tried to reassure him, moving as close to him as the fetter would allow. "I mean…how much damage can you really do? It's pretty much all healed."

"You're…you're kinda missing the point," his friend said, shying away from him. "Were you there just now…when I _raped_ you?"

"Wasn't you…besides…you can't really rape the willing," he said gently. When Bucky finally looked back at him, it was with the expression of a frightened animal, ready to flee at the slightest hint of danger.

"What…what do you mean…willing?"

"Damn it, Buck. Would you just get over here so I can hug you," he demanded, his tone mostly light, but with a small note of hysteria. It was like he couldn't believe he was really there until he could touch him again…like he was terrified that Bucky would just vanish into the darkness of the past…that he really _had_ been dead all this time and Steve was just losing his mind.

Slowly, hesitantly, Bucky moved toward him. He was careful not to make any sudden moves, so as not to frighten him. When they were close enough to touch, Bucky reached out to take the hand Steve was holding out to him. When this seemed to go well, he moved in closer, up against Steve's side, finally allowing him to wrap his free arm around him and hold him tightly against his chest.

"I missed you…so much," he said, burying his face in the other man's dark hair as he suddenly felt tears begin to pour from his eyes…tears of both joy and the memory of his sorrow. "After you…went over that cliff…I cried for days. I've never cried so hard in my _life_."

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry," Bucky murmured over and over again, burying his own face in Steve's chest to muffle his own sobs.

"For _what?_ You didn't do anything. _I_ should have been faster…and all this time…you've been suffering at Loki's hands."

"But that wasn't your fault, either," Bucky tried to protest.

"I think it was. He never would have _touched_ you if it hadn't been for me."

"So…what? You regret us being friends?" Bucky asked. Steve could practically feel him tense.

"No. No, Buck, of _course_ not…but…on the subject of regretting things…Bucky…were you _really_ thinking about…killing yourself…back then?" he asked, feeling his stomach drop at the mere thought of it. To think…if he'd actually gone through with it… _no_ …he couldn't even stand to consider it.

"No. Steve, no, it…no. Loki made it sound a lot worse than it was," he said, though something in his voice gave Steve the very distinct impression he wasn't being completely honest. "I did…fantasize about it sometimes…like he said. I imagined…just going into the woods with my gun and…blowing my brains out. Maybe…maybe it would have…hurt less…"

"And you didn't…think I'd miss you?" Steve had to ask, stung by the thought.

"Why do you think I didn't do it? Just because I thought about it…a lot…doesn't mean I was actually going to do it. Besides…you would have been fine. You didn't…really need me. You were so much stronger…and you had Peggy…"

"Just because I got bigger doesn't mean I didn't still need you," Steve hissed, hugging him a little tighter. "I needed you. I needed you so much. I was _dying_ without you. I _still_ need you. Why would you doubt that?"

Bucky chuckled bitterly at this. "I think…maybe some sick part of me _liked_ that you depended on me so much…guess that same part didn't know what to do when you showed up at the factory that night. I always knew…the moment you realized how amazing you are…I'd lose you."

"That isn't true," Steve said, gently running his fingers through Bucky's hair. "You're twice the man I'll ever be. All that time…and you never said anything…just because you didn't want to hurt me."

"I didn't want to risk…destroying what we had. You were my best friend…still are. Do we…do we still have that?" Bucky asked, looking up at him with fear in his red-rimmed eyes.

"Did you…not get what I meant when I said willing?"

Bucky glanced away from him again, looking uncertain. "Gonna have to spell it out for me. He's been in my head a few too many times for me to take anything on faith."

"All right, I got it, but…could you untie this thing first?" Steve asked, jerking feebly at the fetter that still held his left wrist. Bucky offered him a weak smile before loosening the knot and freeing him. Then the two of them were on their knees before each other and Steve moved to place his hands on his friend's shoulders. "Bucky…James…I feel the same way you do. I…I love you…and I'm sorry it took me this long to figure it out."

For a moment, the other man looked like he might smile, but just at the threshold, he couldn't help asking, "What about Peggy? That picture you kept?"

"I did care about her," Steve answered honestly, "but I think I just got caught up in the silly romance of being a soldier with a gal."

"It's not _that_ silly," Bucky said, looking a little embarrassed as he glanced away. "I…I kept a picture of you."

Steve honestly wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at this. Reaching a hand up to draw Bucky's gaze back to him, he gently began to wipe away some of the tear stains on his face. "Well, you don't have anything to worry about anymore. Peggy and I…whatever it was…pretty much pales in comparison," he said, leaning forward and doing what he'd secretly longed to do ever since the Winter Soldier had pinned him against the cell wall in Asgard.

He kissed him…not harsh and demanding, as their first kiss had been…but sweet and gentle…something they'd both been deprived of since before the war, even. Slowly, they sank to the floor, kissing and touching, just holding each other as close as they possibly could, as if to make up for all the lost time.

"This is real…this is real…" Bucky whispered against Steve's neck several times…and Steve held him and would not let him go.

"I'll never let you go," he murmured into Bucky's hair. "Never again." He said it, even though he knew he wouldn't have much of a choice in the matter when Loki stepped in again. That didn't mean he was going to give up, though.

When they lay together afterward, both shirtless, Steve found himself asking, "How long do we have?"

"Until moonset," the shorter man said quietly, snuggled close against him. "When that happens…I'll revert…so only a few more hours. Y'know…I could…get you out of here," he suggested tentatively. "Loki wouldn't stop me."

"Except I'm not gonna leave you here. I'm not going anywhere until _you_ can go with me…free of the Soldier…and free of _him_ ," he promised, kissing the top of his head.

"Steve…there's…there's nothing you can do. This isn't going to just go away," Bucky tried to tell him.

"There might be a way. You just have to trust me."

Bucky nodded, even though he sighed while he did it. "If I trust anyone, it's you, but I…I really _hate_ when he does this…the switch. I hate it because I _know_ it'll go away…and I'll end up right back in the dark…alone with _him_."

"I'm sorry…sorry I left you to him…all this time…"

"You didn't know," Bucky soothed him, leaning up to kiss his lips. "No matter what the Soldier says…I _know_ that…and I know you never _meant_ to hurt me. I want you to remember that…when I go back."

"I'll find you," Steve said, hugging him a little tighter. "I will _always_ find you…no matter what. I _promise_. I found you before and I'll find you again. I'll bring you out of the darkness."

Bucky wanted to believe that. He wanted to believe it more than anything…but after all his days with Loki, he wasn't sure he should allow himself to…lest that frail hope destroy him all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about going back to what's happening with the other Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., but then I found myself thinking this chapter was more for Bucky and Steve and I didn't want to take it away from them. Certainly hope it was enjoyed.


	7. As Long As You're Mine

As thorough as Fury and Hill were in questioning Jane, the director still decided to keep her under observation for at least twenty-four hours, which the astrophysicist understood completely, knowing that they couldn't risk anything where Loki was concerned.

Currently, she was sitting in an interrogation room reading a book…with half a dozen cameras trained on her every move. Fury was in another room observing the feed, his expression no more readable than normal. He hardly even looked up when Clint entered the room.

"How does she seem to you?"

"Define 'seem'," Clint said slowly, watching the feed with him. "Doesn't _look_ like anything's wrong. Doesn't _feel_ like anything's wrong…but you _know_ something's wrong, just the same…because it's Loki. He wouldn't just give her back…not even pretending it was a trade. He doesn't make deals."

"Right. He stacks the deck. So…Jane Foster's his ace in the hole."

"Question is how? She doesn't _look_ possessed…but that doesn't mean a whole lot. Loki could probably hide it if he wanted to. We could always try giving her a good whack upside the head. See if that does anything," the archer suggested, only half teasing.

"I don't think we need to go that far just yet. She _is_ contained, after all."

"Again, how much does that really mean?" Hawkeye asked him, his demeanor again becoming serious.

"Unfortunately, Agent Barton, Miss Foster is not you. Could be permanent damage if we tried something like what Agent Romanoff did with you."

"Have you got any better ideas?"

"For the moment, no," Fury said, finally turning to look at him. "But we don't have a lot of options at this point."

"And Rogers?"

"I've got people and tech working around the clock…but I don't think any of us are confident of actually finding something. Right now, we're mostly waiting for him to make another move. He's not aggressing this time, so that makes things a little simpler, but…"

"He's coming after _us_ now," Clint finished. "Which begs the question of who's next?"

XxX

Neither Steve nor Bucky slept at all that night, not wanting to waste a minute of the time they'd been given. Even when they weren't talking, they just held each other close, needing the comfort of that closeness. When Bucky finally began to pull away from him, Steve struggled to hold on a few moments longer.

"Steve…don't," Bucky protested, his voice little more than a whisper. "We shouldn't be touching when…he wakes up. He'll go off crazy."

Sighing heavily, Steve pressed a last, loving kiss to the other man's lips before letting him go. "I _am_ gonna see you again," he promised, slowly sitting up as Bucky scooted back against the cell door.

"I love you…Steve," Bucky told him just before his eyes flickered shut.

"I love you, too, Bucky," he returned, not knowing if he would hear.

"No, you don't." The words were out of his mouth before his eyes had even reopened. "You're just _saying_ that."

"Never," he said quietly, sincerely, meeting the Soldier's gaze as his eyes opened.

As the mercenary got to his feet, sneering, Loki silently appeared in the room beyond the cell, an identical look on his face.

"Why would you do that?" Steve asked the trickster, looking away from them. "Why would you let us have that?"

"Because that will make it all the worse when he _kills_ you, won't it. The exchange of your love's _faithful vow_ for his?" he mocked.

He was right. It _would_ be worse if it ever got that far…but Steve wasn't going to let that happen.

"So, Captain Rogers, good night?" Loki asked.

"Don't you know already?"

"I'll know when my little soldier tells me, but believe it or not, I was actually preoccupied last night. You and James are hardly my only concerns."

"You did something to Jane, didn't you."

"Ah, we are a clever boy, aren't we."

"What are you planning?"

"It can't be _that_ hard, can it? If I want your friend to kill you in the end, what do you think's going to happen to the others?"

For a moment, Steve was worried, but it didn't take long for him to calm himself.

"They stopped you before; they'll do it again."

"Will they? Without their precious leader?"

"They can handle themselves. Somebody else needs me more than they do."

Loki sneered at this. "Absolutely precious…to be so devoted to another soul…even though he would see you dead."

"That isn't him. It's _you_ ," Steve said, his eyes narrowing as he glared at his captor.

"You're sure? After all, would my tactics have worked if there wasn't some small part of your love that was insecure…that _believed_ you didn't really care about him?"

Steve held Loki's penetrating gaze throughout. In truth, it _was_ something he'd considered…and he knew there was probably some truth in it, but he couldn't let that matter. He couldn't let Loki instill doubt in him…not after last night.

Loki tilted his head curiously to the side. "Impressive. Perhaps it will take a bit more to get to you than I thought. Oh, no…wait, I know," he said, kneeling in front of Steve. For a moment, he was staring into Loki's eyes, but then the scene suddenly changed.

He could still see Loki, but the room they were in was different. It looked to be some sort of cell, even darker and gloomier than the one they were actually in. Loki was standing over some sort of table…and when he got a look at that table, he could see Bucky strapped to it, looking like death warmed over. His lost arm hadn't even been replaced with the silver one in this memory. The stump was simply frozen over to prevent bleeding out.

"I must say," Loki began as he circled the table, "you certainly are resilient. Tell me, what is it that keeps you fighting?" Loki asked, running a hand down his captive's thigh. Bucky turned away and in that small movement, Steve felt his heart break a little more.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Wouldn't I? I understand you better than most, I think. I _know_ you…the _heart_ of you…the _inside_ ," he hissed. Bucky laughed weakly at this.

"You don't…know me… _Master,_ " he spat, his venom falling flat in his weakened state.

"Oh, I think I do. You see, you've given it away in the way you speak his name…the way you cry it out in your sleep. It's _pathetic._ "

"You…you're wrong…"

"About what am I wrong? I didn't _say_ it. I already know he's your best friend…your _brother_. What more is there for me to be mistaken about? Could it be… _love_ , Sergeant Barnes?" he pressed, his expression twisting maliciously.

Bucky squeezed his eyes shut, unable to stop the few tears that escaped. Steve could practically see the thoughts on his face…the emotions in his bloodshot eyes when they reopened. It didn't _matter_ anymore. There was no _reason_ left to hide it. In his view, he had nothing left to lose…because Loki _certainly_ couldn't take _this_ away from him.

"Fine," he mumbled, his voice hoarse. "It's true. I'm over the god damn moon for that stupid son of a bitch," he admitted, more tears escaping against his will.

"And this is the first time you've ever spoken those words aloud, isn't it?" Loki said, a rather self-satisfied smirk lighting his face.

Bucky nodded. "Nobody was ever supposed to know…and _that's_ why you can go fuck yourself. Nothing you do is gonna make me hurt him," he said, his expression grim.

"Except maybe…tell him how you feel about him. _That_ would probably hurt him," Loki said matter-of-factly. "What would he think of you then? Your _dear friend?_ "

For a moment, Bucky looked horrified, but then his expression slowly slipped into something resigned…hopeless. "He'd think I'm disgusting…wouldn't be able to look at me…I'd _lose_ him," he finished, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"And still you care for him?"

Bucky sighed. "Can't not. I could sooner stop breathin'."

"My, my, how…touching," Loki said, drawing his staff from the air. "Well, we shall either break you of that or…grant your wish."

The last thing Loki left Steve on was the sound of Bucky screaming…and he knew it didn't matter how many years he survived after this; for as long as he lived, he would be able to hear that sound in his head.

Steve emerged from the illusion with his knees hugged against his chest like a frightened child. "How…how long?" he finally managed to make himself ask, looking up at Loki again.

"Long, Captain?"

"How _long?_ " he snarled, leaping to his feet. "How long did that go on for?"

Loki looked thoughtful for a moment, then began to count on his fingers. "Let me think…about…six months would be my guess."

"Six…six _months?_ " Steve repeated, feeling as if he'd been punched in the gut. Six months of _that_ , and probably worse that Loki hadn't yet shown him…was it really any wonder the Winter Soldier had been born?

"Yes," the Soldier interrupted. "Six months of _Hell_ …and you never came. I prayed…and I cried for you…but you never came to help me."

As he stared into Bucky's hate-fueled eyes, Steve knew that the fact he'd been a block of ice for most of that time was no excuse…not for _this_. Bucky had _needed_ him and he hadn't been there for him…just like on the train. All he could muster was, "I'm _sorry_."

"Of course you're sorry. Everybody's sorry…after it's too late," the Soldier informed him before delivering a crunching blow to his jaw. The force of the blow sent Steve flying into the cell wall before crashing painfully to the floor. The mercenary continued his tirade as he advanced on him. "It doesn't matter now, though. I'm not that person anymore. My Master made me stronger. Everything he did burned the weakness out of me…and now you'll see just how strong I really am!"

Loki watched with no small sense of satisfaction as his creation whaled on the captain. It was the worst beating the man had received since becoming the super soldier, made all the worse by the fact that Bucky was familiar with just about every scrap he'd ever been in, and super soldier or no, he knew exactly how to take Steve Rogers down. The trickster's glee was only heightened by the fact that the captain wasn't lifting a finger to defend himself…and he never would…not against Bucky. He would take this beating as a punishment for his perceived sins. That was what Loki loved about Captain America…his sense of responsibility…of _guilt_.

XxX

Natasha was the first to enter the interrogation room where Jane was under observation. When Fury and Hill couldn't turn up anything and the observation proved to be less than helpful, they'd decided to let Natasha enter, as she'd had luck with the trickster before. Jane seemed normal enough when she entered the room, but the Black Widow knew better than to let that fool her.

"So, getting bored yet?" the Russian asked, sitting down at the table across from Jane as she finished up the last page of her book.

"Well…I might be now that I've finished my book. How many hours have I got left?" she asked, offering her a resigned smile.

"Seven."

"Could be worse, I guess. And before you ask, Agent Romanoff, no, I don't remember anymore about the kidnapping than what I've told Director Fury. I really wish I could be more help to you guys, but…there's nothing. I was kept in the dark most of the time."

"Which probably means he tampered with your memory some," Natasha suggested. Jane nodded.

"Probably…no idea what it might have been, though."

Natasha stared at Jane for several long minutes, searching for a sign of the monster she knew was lurking somewhere within…but there was nothing…absolutely nothing. Jane just stared back at her, looking frustrated herself, unable to help.

Finally sighing, Natasha shook her head and stood up. Just as she was turning to leave, though, Jane reached out and touched her arm.

"Do you think you might be able to grab another one of my books? Seven hours is going to be a long time."

Natasha felt it the moment Jane's skin touched hers…the blistering cold of the dead of winter swept through her body, and when she looked back at Jane, it wasn't her she saw sitting there…but Loki.

She tried to react…to move, to speak, _anything_ …but she was frozen.

"Hello, Agent Romanoff."

_You!_

The very next moment, it wasn't Loki anymore. It was Jane once again.

"Sure," she heard herself say; then her body turned and walked out of the room…all without any permission from her.

 _What do you think, Natasha?_ Loki's voice sounded in her head as she moved down the hallway.

_What did you do to me?_

_It's good, isn't it? All the spell took was a simple touch, something I picked up from my benefactors. I hadn't tried it before now, but it seems to be working well. You'll behave just as you normally do, but your body will be my willing slave, doing my work and spreading my parasitic hypnosis._

_Really, Loki? Just how many people can you reasonably expect to control like this?_

_No idea, but we'll soon see. After all, there are only two more I **need** …and as fate would have it, here's one of them now._

"Looking for something, Dr. Ross?" she heard herself asking as Betty moved down the hall, heading in the opposite direction.

"Yes. Do you know where Erik is? Bruce found traces of gamma radiation around the spot the Winter Soldier teleported away from. We're thinking the Soldier's abilities might somehow be Tesseract-based, and if that's the case, there might be a way to track him."

"Hoping to exchange notes, then," her mouth said without her as her hand reached up and rested on the other woman's shoulder. Then their eyes met, and Natasha couldn't see any reaction from her, but she knew what was happening. It took no more than a moment; then Natasha's arm pointed back the way the doctor had come. "Try that hallway you just passed. It'll take you to the transport room. He's probably working in there."

"Thank you," Betty said before quickly disappearing.

 _Pepper. Pepper's your last target,_ she said, the pieces starting to come together in her mind.

 _Just so. A picture begins to form,_ he replied as her body walked, unbidden, back to the control room where Fury and Clint were keeping watch. Clint looked up at her when she entered the room. Silently, Natasha pleaded with him to notice that _something_ was wrong, but if he did, he gave no indication of it.

"Nothing?" Fury asked her.

"Zero," her mouth said. "Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe he really _hasn't_ done anything…and he's just letting us twist like this because he gets off on it?"

"While that _does_ sound like something he'd do…somehow, I don't think he'd let an opportunity like this go," Fury said.

While the director continued to go on, she and Clint shared a look. She had no idea what her eyes were saying, but his asked if she was all right…and he must have liked the answer he received, because his countenance relaxed noticeably.

_Damn it, Barton! Can't you see what's happening here?_

_Of course, he can't. You're behaving just as you always do._

_But he…he's…Clint,_ she uttered in a moment of doubt, unable to keep her thoughts hidden from her jailer.

_Ah, yes, dear, sweet Clint Barton…the hero of your dark fairy tale. Perhaps it's better that the princess should slay her rescuer._

Natasha wished she could be surprised at the implications of the statement, but she wasn't. She'd been expecting it. That didn't mean, however, that she didn't feel the stab of horror penetrating her very being. If Clint didn't notice anything was wrong…she could easily kill him in his sleep…her…the one person he let his guard down for…the one person he trusted.

 _Now you're beginning to understand. My shield maidens are gathering at the very heart of Fury's empire to destroy the Avengers, and the best part is…they won't even know it's happening. The very people they trust their souls to…their_ _**executioners** _ _._

"Did Banner tell you he and Ross might have found a way to track the Winter Soldier?" she heard herself ask Fury.

"Yes. With any luck, we'll be able to find the son of a bitch before whatever he's got going with Jane busts wide open."

"And before anything happens to Rogers," Clint put in.

"Luck? Since when have we _ever_ had luck?" her mouth asked without her before her body turned and walked out. Natasha could have laughed. It was exactly what _she_ would have said.

XxX

Bucky really had kept it coming all day. Loki had disappeared about an hour in, but Bucky hadn't let up. He'd kept after Steve…and he'd _let_ him, let him take out all the rage, pain, and hate that was the Winter Soldier on his body. As the floor was methodically painted with his blood, Steve thought, rather morbidly, of the punching bags he'd taken to task after his reawakening. How different was he, really, from them?

It was brutal and painful…of course it was…but _none_ of the day's brutalities compared with the moment Bucky was suddenly released from the Winter Soldier to see what he'd done.

"Buck…" Steve whispered as the other man fell to his knees before him, his eyes blown wide with horror and self-loathing. "It…it'll be all right. Just give it an hour or two. It'll all heal up."

"No, it won't," Bucky mumbled, his voice barely audible, even to Steve's enhanced hearing.

"What?"

" _No, it_ _ **won't!**_ " he shouted, slamming a bleeding fist into the floor. "How can you _say_ that? It'll never be all right again! Look…look what I've done to you," he said, his voice tapering off to a whisper as he reached forward a shaking hand to wipe the blood from Steve's split lip…but as he did, Steve reached up to take his hand in his, drawing it against his chest, so he could feel his heartbeat.

"It's going to be all right," he said firmly, holding Bucky's gaze with his own. After a time, he started to tremble, and he squeezed his eyes tightly shut, allowing Steve to pull him into his arms. He was mostly silent as he cried, but he shook badly, and Steve held him as close as he possibly could, offering what comfort he was able to.

Neither knew how long they lay like that, but when Bucky finally looked up at Steve again, the bleeding had stopped.

"See?" Steve attempted to soothe him, clumsily trying to wipe the tears from his face. "Just a few bones still knittin' up. It's gonna be fine."

"You should kill me," Bucky said, looking away from him.

" _What?_ "

"Just get it over with…before he makes me kill you. What I saw when I woke up just now…that was worse than _all_ my time with him. I couldn't live with myself…if I killed you…"

At this, Steve claimed Bucky's lips with his own, stealing his breath with kisses, just as he'd done to him.

"And you think _I_ could?" he asked, resting his forehead against Bucky's once they'd left off kissing. "When you fell…I _died_ that day. I couldn't live without you…not really. A different person walked away from that train. I went over that ledge _with_ you. I felt responsible enough for that. What makes you think I could just kill you?"

"I should get you out of here, then."

"No. Not without you," he said, recalling Bucky's same words from all those years ago.

"You were always such a damn stubborn punk," Bucky growled.

"You know me," Steve said, pulling him close again. "I do have to wonder…why he did it again, though. Why he gave you back to me a second time."

"Because he likes it; he gets off on it," Bucky hissed, his voice layered with shades of hurt, shame, and helplessness. "He likes seeing what it does to me to wake up like this…what it does to you to see me go back."

Quite suddenly, the phrase 'he gets off on it' triggered something in Steve's memory. When the Winter Soldier was holding him, pushing into him…something he said…

" _I know…I've had lots of practice."_

"Bucky…" Steve started slowly, looking down at him. "What Loki did to you…he didn't do anything…unseemly…did he?"

Bucky raised an eyebrow, a humorless smirk twisting his features. "Unseemly? Really, Steve? I know you're kind of a prude, but you could just come right out and ask if he raped me."

"I…I didn't want-"

"No, no, I get it," Bucky interrupted, sitting up and looking down at the taller man, "but the answer's yes. Some of the things he likes…" he shuddered, unable to finish.

"Buck," Steve began, sitting up beside him, but Bucky just shook his head.

"It happened. There's nothing anybody can do about it now."

"Are you gonna be okay?" Steve asked as he rested a hand on his knee, not really knowing what else to say.

"I don't know," he answered honestly, taking Steve's hand in his and holding it tightly. "Sometimes…he would put hallucinations in my head…make me think I was with _you_ instead of him."

"Oh…Buck…"

"That was the worst…waking up from that. No matter how bad he hurt me, there was nothing worse than that," he said, leaning over and pressing a rough kiss to Steve's neck, as if needing to reassure himself he was still there. Steve reciprocated with a kiss to his lips.

"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," he soothed him, burying his fingers in his hair as the kissing escalated.

This was somehow different from the night before. Their movements were still slow and gentle…sensuous, but each was hyperaware of the other, sensing the change between them. Bucky understood it perfectly, but Steve, even though he was no longer a virgin, still didn't fully understand everything. There was one point, when they were both unclothed and there was a break in the kissing, that they looked into each other's eyes and Bucky knew they'd reached the point of no return.

"Are…are you sure?" he asked him, hesitantly reaching out a hand to stroke the side of his face. Steve gave a small nod, smiling as he reached up his own hand to lay on top of Bucky's.

"Yes…I want to do this, but…you? Are you okay?" he asked, his smile faltering slightly.

"Yeah. I don't want my only memory of this to be…what happened yesterday," he said, reaching for his discarded pants.

"You talk like we'll never do this again," Steve said, his tone clearly inviting argument as Bucky rummaged through a pocket, coming up with a small bottle.

"Well…you never know," the shorter man said, offering a pained smile.

"What's that?" Steve asked, glancing at the bottle.

"Lube," Bucky answered, his smile growing a shade more devious. "Guess you didn't see it yesterday, but trust me, we need it."

Steve didn't argue. He just leaned back against the cell wall and let Bucky take the lead. He was still a little sore from his beating, but he was pretty well healed by now. Bucky treated him gently, all the same, covering him with kisses while he worked to get him hard, which didn't take long at all.

Knowing that he didn't really know what to do, Bucky didn't give Steve the opportunity to stretch him. He simply set himself down on the other man, and Steve was so lost in the sensation of it, he couldn't think clearly enough to protest.

They moved against each other slowly, fitting together easily, as if they'd done it all their lives. Steve didn't last very long, coming quickly, and the feel of it inside him caused Bucky to follow him over the edge. Still having little control over himself, Steve was very loud, while Bucky was mostly quiet, gasping softly as he came against Steve's stomach. They didn't separate once they'd finished, just lay there together, holding each other and trying to catch their breath.

"I love you," Steve whispered to him, kissing the top of his head several times.

"I love you, too, Steve," he whispered back, kissing his neck as he wove a spell against his skin. Steve was sound asleep within moments.

"If you only knew how much," he said, feeling himself begin to cry again as he kissed Steve's lips one last time before pulling away from him. "That's why I have to get you out of here."


	8. In the Dark Of the Night

Somehow, Natasha's possessed body managed not to run into Pepper, but that was to say nothing of Betty, whom she hadn't seen since spreading the mental virus to her. She had battled against Loki's control all day, but it had been no use. She was trapped inside her own head, looking out. Loki wasn't necessarily in her head at all times, but his control was constant. Occasionally, she thought to ask him what he'd done with Steve, but decided against it. It wasn't all that hard to figure out that Loki meant for the Winter Soldier to kill him in the end…and she had more pressing matters to worry about…like the fact that her hand was currently knocking on Clint's door.

"Hey, Tasha," he greeted upon opening the door and seeing her standing there. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," her possessed mouth lied as her eyes turned slightly away from him. "I just…"

"Say no more," he said when she didn't finish, taking her hand in his and pulling her inside. "I get it. I was just about to head to bed."

Clint led her to his bed and they both lay down on it, still fully clothed. None of them really changed for bed when they were on high alert like this.

Their relationship wasn't quite of a sexual nature. The life they led didn't really allow for that kind of risk; but there were still times when they just…needed to be together. So this wasn't at all unusual, her coming to him like this. He wouldn't suspect a thing.

"You okay?" he asked as he pulled her into his arms. Natasha herself was practically screaming as her head laid itself down on his chest.

"That Nidhogg stuff…it's like a hallucinogen. I saw Mama…and the fire…and I was right back there…" her mouth said, breaking off.

"It's okay," he soothed her. "It's over. You're not five anymore. They can't touch you. You're stronger than them. You should get some sleep."

Her head nodded and her body snuggled closer against his…all while a blade slowly slipped from the holster in her sleeve and Clint gave absolutely _no_ indication he realized anything was wrong. His guard was completely down…and she could kill him easily. He would die…betrayed…betrayed by _her_ …the one thing he feared above all else…and of course Loki _knew_ that.

 _Don't do this._ She was begging now. _Don't make me-_

 _You can't escape, Natasha,_ Loki taunted her. _No bargain you can make, no wile you can employ will stop this from happening. This is the end…for all of you._

She was crying now. She couldn't help it. Her hand was slowly positioning the knife between their bodies, so he wouldn't feel it until it was twisting in his stomach.

 _Barton…Clint…please…_ _**please** _ _wake up! You have to stop this. You can't…_ _**die** _ _…not like this!_

Never had she felt so helpless. Not once in her life. Not when her mother was murdered and her life burned to ashes in front of her…and not during the Hell that had followed. No… _this_ was the lowest point of her life…lying on a bed…about to brutally murder the only person she cared anything for.

 _That's what happens when you cross me…my dear,_ Loki chastised her.

 _God…no…please,_ _ **not him!**_ She begged, prayed, not even knowing whom she prayed to, because _certainly_ she believed in no god.

_Clint…I…_

Then, at the last possible moment, a hand wrapped around her wayward wrist, holding it firmly in place.

"That's cute, Loki," he whispered in her ear. "Did you really think I didn't notice?"

Then, without warning, she was thrown off the bed, flung to the wall. It hurt, of course, but Natasha didn't know that she'd ever been happier in her life.

"Don't think your magic is _that_ good," he ground out as her body quickly leaped to its feet. "I _know_ when something's wrong with her."

"Very good, Agent Barton," her mouth said. Loki spoke through her now, not trying to conceal it. "But can you fight her?"

"If I have to," he said before springing. They leapt at each other at the same time, Natasha's arm raising the blade for another strike. Clint whirled at the last moment, ending up behind her, but she knew the move and turned for a swipe. Clint sprang away just in time to avoid being skewered, but he couldn't quite avoid the swipe to his side. Bleeding, but still very much in the struggle, he leapt over his small bed, putting some distance between them.

"Did she tell you about the last time, Barton? Did she tell you what I promised her?"

Clint said nothing, just kept his eyes on the Natasha-that-wasn't as the two of them skirted the bed. Loki's weakness, he knew, was that he liked to talk, so he would let him.

"She thought to make a deal to secure your freedom. She would have had me believe it was all part of her plan, but I know otherwise. So I promised her death…at your hands…slow and intimate…in every way you know she fears. I will offer you the same now…death at your Tasha's hands; and she need do nothing more than kill you. For that is your greatest fear…to see her go back to what she was…to live to see her betray you. For what else is the Black Widow capable of but betrayal?"

"Talk, pipsqueak. That's all you are is talk," Clint said, knowing that Natasha needed no more than that to prove his faith in her. Before Loki could say anything else in his twisted perversion of Natasha's voice, he sprang at her, taking the blade in the shoulder as he forced her back, slamming her head harshly against the metal wall. She cried out in pain as she slumped to the floor, but then she was smiling up at him.

"One more time," she insisted. "You have to knock me out, just to be sure, but he's going after the others. Help them."

Nodding, Clint delivered a hard blow to the side of her head, knocking her out cold. Then he carried her to his bed, tied her down, and laid a blanket over her. He didn't have time to bandage his shoulder, so he left Natasha's blade where it was to stem the bleeding. Before hurrying out of the room, he pressed a brief kiss to Natasha's temple.

XxX

As usual, or so it seemed whenever they got together, Bruce and Tony were up late working in the lab. Currently, they were joined by Erik and Betty, all watching the most recent readouts from their work.

"Still nothing," Bruce half-growled as he moved away from the computer in frustration.

"The trouble is that it isn't so much a trail to be followed as it is a chain with a missing link…only there is no missing link," Erik tried to theorize. "It's like a jump from one point in space to another."

"But there must be _something_ connecting them, some sort of medium he travels through. You can't just disappear from one place and reappear in another without having traveled through some kind of space," Bruce said.

"And now we're getting into 'beyond the fourth dimension' territory," Tony pointed out, moving to have a look at the computer feed himself. "The question is which would be faster? Proving string theory and inventing useable tech for it…or just finding the other piece of the chain?"

"Neither's really feasible right now," Betty stepped in. ""Without any sort of link, the 'other piece of the chain' would be only traces of radiation; nothing we could pick up on unless we were right on top of it, and they could be anywhere in the world."

"Where in the world is Loki Sandiego?" Tony mused, still staring at the screen.

"The point being," Bruce continued with a cynical chuckle, "that we need a link in order for this to work."

"Well, while you all are busy rewriting the laws of physics…coffee for the sleepless geniuses?" Pepper announced as she entered the lab, carrying a tray containing five steaming mugs of coffee.

"Now _that_ sounds like a good plan," Tony said, moving over to his partner and taking a mug from the tray. Pepper quickly moved around to the others and they all thanked her as they took their mugs. Taking the last one for herself, she went to stand with Tony.

"Having any luck?"

"What you said," Erik said, raising his mug. "Here's to rewriting the laws of physics."

"Well…not so much rewrite as-" Bruce froze mid-sentence when he felt a needle pierce his jugular vein, quickly emptying its contents into his system. Blood trickled down his neck as the needle was withdrawn, and he could see that the needle and syringe were held by a person…and that person turned out to be Betty.

"What…what did you do?" he asked, the mug slipping from his grip and shattering against the floor as his body began to shake. All the while, Betty just stared at him, her expression cold and hard…and at seeing her indifference to what was happening to him, he felt his other self's true rage begin to boil. Not the anger he was mostly in control of, but the hate, the pain of betrayal. Betty…of all people…had _betrayed_ him.

" _What did you do?_ " he shrieked as his body began to bulge out and green began to flush his skin. This wasn't just the Hulk. Something more was happening…something _worse_.

"Hey, hey, easy, big guy," Tony attempted to calm him, slowly moving to summon his armor, but he was stopped by the all too familiar feeling of a gun pressed against his back.

"Don't move," a voice he did and did not know hissed in his ear.

"Pepper…"

"If I pull the trigger, the bullet will tear through your spine. Somehow I doubt even _you_ could bounce back from that."

"Last time I checked, you were a guy," Tony said, the pieces easily coming together in his head. Pepper, after all, could barely stand the sight of guns, let alone actually handle one.

"Clever, Anthony…but not quick enough to save you, I'm afraid," she said, unlocking the safety on the weapon. It was Pepper's voice, but Tony could practically hear the Asgardian's snide tone in her words. "But first…we'll watch Dr. Bruce Banner die, I think."

To see Banner now, the trickster could prove to be right. Tony had never seen Bruce truly out of control before, and even he would admit it was unsettling; even so, he had the feeling this transformation wasn't typical. He grew to the Hulk's size, yes, but other than that, he seemed to be constantly shifting…like the creature couldn't make up its mind whether to emerge or not. Bruce's skin continuously shifted between green and flesh-toned, and that skin almost looked to be melting – shifting, twisting, and constantly remolding itself, and his face kept shifting between being more Hulk-like and something more recognizable as Bruce Banner. Whatever face he wore, though, it was twisted with an expression of pain…and that expression was directed at Betty, who remained unmoved by the horror she was witnessing. Unable to bear the indifference any longer, the Hulk gave a primal roar and bashed the woman to the side, sending her crashing into the wall.

"Betty!" Erik shouted, moving in to try and help her, but the Hulk's roar of rage kept him back. For a moment, he seemed like he might actually crush her. But then her eyes blinked open and she looked up at him with such horror in them, it stayed the Hulk.

"Bruce," she managed to whisper, though she lay broken on the floor. "I…I'm so sorry. What…have I done? Loki…" That was all she managed before passing out cold.

Hearing this, some sense seemed to return to the Hulk. He brushed a hand against her limp body, and when she didn't respond, he buried his face in his hands and screamed, a sound even more horrifying than all the ones that had come before. Then he began to bash his head against the wall, keeping up the furious onslaught until he had finally shrunk back into human form. Tears streamed down his face as he turned to look down at Betty before collapsing beside her, completely still.

"And that's the end of-"

"Stark!"

Before Pepper had even finished speaking, Barton was in the doorway, flinging something at Tony, who managed to catch it and turn to Pepper just as she fired off a shot. The force of the shot deflected by the object knocked Tony off his feet, but he was otherwise unharmed. Looking down, he saw it was Steve's shield.

Snarling, Pepper fired off several more shots, all of which pinged off the shield. Entering the room with Thor's companions, Clint set an arrow to his bow and fired. The arrow struck her in the shoulder and she went down almost immediately, falling prey to the drugged tip.

"Sorry about this," the archer said to both her and Tony before using his good arm to slam Pepper's head hard against the floor.

"Is she gonna be all right?" Tony asked, setting the shield aside and moving quickly toward them. Even though the rational part of his mind _knew_ the extremis in her system would help her heal quickly, the irrational part couldn't help but worry for the woman he loved.

"Should be okay. The arrow didn't pierce deep and I didn't concuss her."

"You're sure?"

Clint raised an eyebrow. "This is what I do, Stark. You _really_ think I don't know when I concuss someone?"

"What about Banner? What'd Loki do to him?" he asked as he gathered Pepper up from the marksman.

"Betty injected him with this," Erik said, offering up the syringe, which had shattered during the battle. Hogun took one of the larger fragments of glass and sniffed it, shuddering at the scent.

"Nidhogg's Fire," he announced decisively. "The dosage could kill him…if he isn't dead already."

"He yet lives," Fandral announced once he'd pressed a hand to the pulse point in the man's neck. "The beat of blood is faint, but it is still there."

"The woman, as well," Sif said, checking over Betty. "They will need healers."

"Wait, where's thunder boy?" Tony asked.

"Loki has done this. Even at the heart of Midgard's defenses, he has managed to strike," Sif said. "Thor has gone to confront his brother."

XxX

When Barton had sent out the word that Loki had infiltrated, Thor had immediately split off from his friends, heading for the interrogation room where Jane was still imprisoned. When he arrived, he found her sitting at the table, staring calmly at him.

"I don't need to pretend with you, do I…Brother," she said, an eerie leer twisting her face.

"What is this madness, Loki?" Thor demanded, slamming a fist against the table as he sat down across from Jane.

"Is it madness to destroy your enemies? Odin nearly did it to the Jotuns…you _would_ have once, and the lot of you _did_ destroy the Chitauri. Your Avengers would destroy me, so I will destroy you first."

"No…not destroy," Thor said slowly, shaking his head, a look of hurt in his eyes. "Never destroy."

"What would you have, then?"

"I would have you come home…to have things be as they were before."

"That can never be and you _know_ it. What awaits at home? A prison cell? Death at the hands of the Asgardians…the Other?"

"What are you talking about?"

Jane shook her head, as if to clear it. "None of your affair, brother mine. I will be long gone before that is of any worry, and the others will be dead…perhaps you with them. I suppose it's time to find that out," she said, drawing a small bottle out of her coat pocket. Thor's first thought was to ask how Fury had missed it…but really, it was his baby brother he was dealing with. If Loki didn't want something to be seen, it wouldn't be.

"Nidhogg's Fire?" the thunder god asked, eying the red-black liquid apprehensively.

"Just so, the same surprise I gave to your comrade, Banner. This dose might be enough to kill you; I'm not certain. Either way, it will certainly be unpleasant."

"Why…would you leave it uncertain?" Surely his brother knew exactly how much it would take to kill him.

"Because I would almost rather kill you in person. I will have no hand slay you except my own…but this works almost as well," she said, offering him the bottle. For several minutes, he just stared at it. After a time, Jane's face twisted into a scowl.

"If you're stalling, you should know they aren't coming to help you. They're all a little too concerned with Banner right now…and if you _don't_ do it…I will kill the woman."

"You wouldn't," Thor growled, his hands curling into fists.

"Wouldn't I? Her mind is enthralled to me. It would be _easy_ …simply shut her brain down…force her to stop breathing."

"Don't!" Thor pleaded, finally taking the bottle from her. "Please…don't do that."

"Now you begin to understand. It's you or her…and we both know you a little too well to think you will choose any other way but _her_ ," she said, an odd look on her face Thor couldn't quite comprehend. "Now _drink it_."

Nodding slowly, Thor broke off the glass seal. Then he took Jane's hand in his. "Jane…I do not know that I have ever told you this properly…but I love you…and I'm sorry it must be this way. I love you, as well, Loki…whether or not you believe it…and Jane will go free…once it's done?"

"I will have no need of her," was the only answer given.

Nodding, Thor squeezed Jane's unresponsive hand as he downed the bottle's contents. For several minutes, he sat completely still, waiting for the horrible death to begin. It didn't take long.

It began with tremors…a bone-rattling shaking all throughout his body. As sweat broke out along his skin, his nerves went on fire with pain. Clutching at his head with his free hand, he struggled not to scream in agony.

_I will come for your head soon enough, Jane Foster, but for now, your usefulness has ended. Behold what your caring for him has wrought._

The moment Thor pulled his hand away from Jane's to avoid hurting her, she squeezed back, blinking quickly awake.

"Thor!" she cried out as she sprang up from the table, only to see him thrashing around on the floor, unable to hold back the cries anymore. Like Natasha, Jane had witnessed the entire thing, a prisoner in her own head while her own hand was forced to poison the man she loved.

The thrashing didn't last long; the Asgardian soon fell still, but he continued to whimper, tormented by memories of Loki falling away from him and into the abyss…Jane strapped to Loki's machine…the moment he'd thought his father dead…the realization of his brother's betrayal…all the mistakes in his life he blamed himself for, all crashing down on him at once as his body succumbed to the poison.

" _Help!_ " Jane shrieked as she knelt beside Thor, cradling his head in her lap. "Please! Someone help!"

"Jane…Jane…" Thor cried out weakly, reaching out blindly, unable to see the room around him anymore. Trembling, she took his hand in hers, holding it against her cheek as tears spilled down her face.

"I'm here. I'm right here."

"Are…are you holding me?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"Yes. I'm with you. God, Thor, I…I'm _so_ sorry," she said, gently brushing strands of his golden hair away from his sweat-streaked face.

"This…is not your doing…Jane. _I_ am the sorrier…for allowing it to happen. I will await you…wherever I am going."

"Thor…Thor, you can't…" she tried to plead with him, her words getting stuck around the lump in her throat as the tears came all the harder.

As the tears fell down on his face, Thor found himself thinking it was starting to rain. Feeling his senses tingle at the thought of the oncoming storm, his world finally went black.

XxX

Once Bucky had put Steve to sleep, it didn't take him long to get both himself and the super soldier reclothed. After all, he couldn't just take Steve back to S.H.I.E.L.D. completely naked. The trouble began, however, when he attempted to teleport with Steve in tow…and failed.

His first fearful thought was that he no longer had enough power to manage it. What he hadn't told Steve, and what he didn't really care about as the Winter Soldier, was that his magic came with a price. A human body simply isn't fit to use the kind of magic Loki had taught him for any lengthy period of time, and the more he used magic, the closer he came to death.

This thought quickly faded away, though, in favor of a simpler explanation. Loki was blocking him. He hadn't thought he would, but that must have been the case. Loki wasn't going to let go of Captain America now he had him in his clutches.

Beginning to pace the cell, Bucky growled low in frustration. If his first plan wasn't going to work, how was he going to get Steve away from here? He _couldn't_ let this go on. They would both die sooner or later, and he _certainly_ wasn't going to let Steve die…not for him…not when he was so much _better_ than he was.

But perhaps…it was only Steve who was blocked? Maybe he could travel on his own, warn the Avengers, bring them to help? Pressing his lips to Steve's one last time, he whispered, "I'm coming right back. I promise." Then he took a step back and summoned the teleportation spell, relieved beyond belief when he snapped back into existence in the very spot he'd vanished from barely more than twenty-four hours ago…and he, being who he was, didn't take long to draw S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention. Three female agents soon exited the complex, all drawn and aimed to fire on him.

"What is your purpose here, Winter Soldier?" their leader asked. Bucky found he vaguely recognized the three women, probably from an encounter as the Winter Soldier.

"Not the Soldier," he said, trying to be as non-threatening as possible. "Bucky."

"Sergeant…Barnes?" one of the women asked…Agent Carter…the one with Peggy's face. The way her uniform bunched slightly on her left side indicated she was bandaged beneath it.

"Yeah. I don't mean any trouble…well…not yet, anyway," he said, holding his hands up, though he knew it meant little as a gesture of peace coming from him. "We don't have a lot of time. I just came to tell you Loki's hiding out in Tonsberg, Norway."

"What?" Maria asked, not sure she believed him. "Why would you tell us that?"

"Because you have to come. You have to save him. Steve's going to _die_ , and I can't…save him on my own," he admitted. Hell, he would have gladly taken any of them back with him…if he didn't feel certain Loki had outright blocked his ability to teleport with passengers, not just Steve.

"I don't know about this," Maria said, eying him suspiciously. "We're going to have to take you into custody."

"Believe me, I'd _love_ to let you lock me up," he said, beginning to back away from them, "except at moonset, I'll just revert, and probably kill a whole lot more of you to escape."

"Maria," Sharon began slowly, taking careful stock of the man who'd nearly killed her. "I think he's telling the truth."

Sharon Carter had watched Steve Rogers mourn for this man ever since she'd known him. She'd realized his feelings were more than friendship a long while before he had. Looking at Bucky now, she could see the same emotions in his eyes…the need, the caring, the despair and heartbreak. James Barnes was a man on the verge of a loss so horrible it defied comprehension.

" _Please._ Send the Avengers. Send _someone._ Don't let him die," he begged before vanishing back into the darkness.

"Director Fury?" Maria called into her communicator.

"Yeah, I heard. Well…you'd almost think the good sergeant didn't have a clue what went down here during the night."

"Maybe he really doesn't," Darcy suggested, scratching her forehead with her gun. "Loki probably doesn't trust him with _everything_."

Either way, Bucky's desperate plea would be a tall order to fill. Only two of the Avengers were in even a remote state to fight. Tony was the only one who was completely unharmed. While Clint had several knife wounds, he could still fight. Natasha was still unconscious, but would almost certainly recover. Bruce and Thor, they were not so sure about…and _if_ Bruce woke and saw what had happened to Betty, he would probably just go off the deep end anyway.

"Well, Ladies and Gentlemen," Tony's exhausted voice sounded over the comm, "welcome to Shit Creek."

XxX

When Bucky returned to the cell, he was horrified to find Loki there waiting for him, crouching over Steve and running a hand along his cheek. The captain was so deep asleep, he didn't even stir.

" _Stay away from him!_ " Bucky snarled, seizing the back of the Asgardian's tunic and jerking him back violently. The trickster looked fairly put out when Bucky placed himself solidly between the sleeping Steve and his master, but his expression ultimately twisted into his usual sneer.

"I seem to recall we've had several discussions about what the proper treatment of your master is."

"Yeah? So what? You wanna punish me? Go ahead. You want your 'little soldier' back? Take him."

"Oh, I will, little one. I will a thousand times over. But how to do it? Physical torture is nothing to you…and as he knows your feelings and reciprocates, I cannot threaten to reveal them…but I _can_ still use him against you. What if I were to…take him in front of you?" Loki suggested.

"I'd _kill_ you."

"Heheh, you would certainly try, my little soldier, but I think I have something better in mind. I'll have _you_ fuck _me_ …and let our dear, innocent Steve watch."

"Fine," Bucky said quietly, glancing away. It wasn't like it was anything he hadn't done before…and it was better than Loki laying even one finger on Steve.

"Not as my Soldier, either…but as yourself."

Bucky took a little longer to answer this time, but he did eventually manage a small, "Fine." He would have asked why, but he'd long ago ceased to question how the trickster's mind worked. Anything to keep him away from Steve…even if he knew he would have to break his friend's heart in order to do it. Though, with any luck, help would arrive before Loki forced him to follow through on the bargain.

"Now wake him up, if you would. I've an announcement to make."

Glaring briefly at his master, Bucky turned back to Steve, pressing his lips to his and weaving a new spell, waking him with a kiss. When Steve's eyes blinked open and he saw him, he smiled briefly, reaching a hand up to touch his face.

"Did I fall asleep?"

"Yeah," Bucky said, offering him a small smile of his own before his expression sobered up. "He's back."

"Glad to see you've had some sleep, Captain," Loki said, moving a little closer to the lovers. "After all, I don't think you'll like what I have to tell you."

"Implying I would ever like _anything_ you had to tell me," Steve fired back at him as he sat up.

"This, I think, is a little bit different. You see, I regret to inform you that Thor Odinson and Dr. Bruce Banner were both _killed_ last night."

"What?" Bucky was the first to mumble.

"Yes, there was an attack on their compound last night. They were both taken down by lethal doses of Nidhogg's Fire."

"I…I don't believe you," Steve managed to choke out, fighting against the feeling of shock. "It's not that easy to kill those two." If his teammates were dead…was it somehow his fault?

"Believe me or not as you choose. The truth will reveal itself to you soon enough. One by one, you will fall…and now I suppose you'll be needing time alone with your _grief_. I'll let you have your Bucky for the day, shall I," he said before striding out of the cell.

"Steve…" Bucky said quietly, not really sure what to say.

"It…it isn't true," Steve said, the look on his face speaking of loss, nonetheless. "It _can't_ be true."

"You're probably right. Loki always lies," Bucky agreed as he gathered him in his arms, trying to comfort him in any way he could, deciding for the moment to take the road of denial with Steve. If what Loki said was true…did his plan have any chance of succeeding? With two of its strongest members dead…would S.H.I.E.L.D. even be _able_ to help?


	9. Keep the Streets Empty

After Bucky had brought his message, the group gathered in the med ward. Contrary to what Loki had reported, Thor and Bruce were not actually dead, but neither were they completely alive. Thor had fallen into what his friends called the Odinsleep…although, in his case, it was more of a Thorsleep, Volstagg had mused. Whatever the case, the power of the royal bloodline had prevented his death.

Bruce was in some sort of coma. The best guess any of the doctors had was that the Hulk was somehow keeping him alive, holding him in a state of stasis while they both recovered from the poison. Apparently, Loki hadn't given him quite enough for it to be lethal.

Pepper and Natasha weren't really injured. They were just waiting for them to regain consciousness. Jane was also unhurt, merely distraught over the fact that she'd fully believed she'd killed Thor for about ten minutes before help had arrived. Betty was the worst off of the women, with several broken bones, bruises, and scrapes. Of course, the woman had sustained injuries just like this before and had recovered from them. Maybe she could do so again? There was, after all, more to Betty Ross than met the eye.

"So…trap?" Clint mused, leaning against the foot of Natasha's hospital bed with his arms crossed.

"Maybe…" Fury said, trailing off before he'd really gotten started.

"Except why would Loki send the Winter Soldier to beg for Rogers when he _knew_ we were half-dead?" Tony finished.

"To fuck with our heads," Clint suggested. "He kinda does that."

"Director, I've made my report," Sharon said to Fury. "I don't believe that was the Winter Soldier we encountered. I think it was Sergeant James Barnes acting alone."

"Yeah, I know what you _believe_ , Agent Carter, but have you got anything to back that belief up with?"

"He didn't try to kill me."

"Excuse me?"

"The first time we met, the Winter Soldier tried to kill me. Not just because I was an enemy, but because I was _me_ …a Carter. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current thinking is that Sergeant Barnes had certain…feelings for Captain Rogers, and would understandably hold a certain amount of jealousy toward Peggy Carter. Amplified by the Winter Soldier persona, that jealousy could easily escalate to an irrational hatred of anything associated with her, myself included. He essentially confirmed this that night. The moment he realized who I was, he tried to kill me. He didn't do that just now."

"And you don't think it's possible he might have just been under orders from Loki?" Fury suggested.

"No, Sir. The Winter Soldier may be Loki's obedient attack dog, but he's also volatile, no doubt a result of whatever was done to create the Soldier. Hatred like that isn't going to be controlled; it's unbiddable…ungovernable…and I didn't see anything like that just now."

"So…what? Split personalities?"

"A distinct possibility."

"Great. As if one psycho wasn't bad enough," Tony griped.

"Loki tortured him. The psyche splitting in order to protect itself isn't an unheard of coping mechanism," Sharon explained.

"So you think we should treat his information as credible?"

"Absolutely. It might be the only chance we get to help Steve."

"Well…this could still be a trap. We have no idea what Loki's really after. Even if Sergeant Barnes _did_ manage to get out on his own, it's highly unlikely the bastard doesn't already know what he's up to. I won't ask anyone to go on this mission who doesn't volunteer," Fury announced to the group at large.

"Oh, Hell, you know I'll take any chance for a shot at that son of a bitch, boss," Clint said with a small smirk.

_Especially after this._

"Any sucker who thinks he can mess with me through Potts needs to be taught a lesson," Tony said, his voice an uncharacteristic shade of serious. "And of course, by lesson I mean have his face bashed in."

"I'll go," Sharon said. "After all, I'm a pretty good indicator of which version of the sergeant we're dealing with."

"Sure. Why the Hell not," Darcy said, giving her pistol a twirl. "Sounds like fun."

"We will gladly follow the Avengers into battle for a shot at Loki," Fandral announced, hand at the hilt of his sword.

"One of us will have to accompany Thor back to Asgard, though," Sif reminded them. "We must get him back to the Allfather if he is to heal properly."

"No…don't worry about that," Jane said, slowly coming out of her funk. "You need as many people to fight as you can get. I'll go back with him."

"Are you certain, Jane Foster?" the warrior woman asked her. "We cannot know how long the sleep might last."

Jane shook her head, taking the thunder god's cold hand in hers. "I don't care. I want to stay with him until he wakes up. I'm the _reason_ he's like this."

"I'm going, too," Natasha's voice suddenly announced. Everyone glanced toward her bed and found the assassin awake and staring at the ceiling. There was no telling how long she'd been awake.

"Agent Romanoff, that might not be the best-" Maria started to say.

"That _bastard_ …tried to kill Clint," she interrupted, speaking to no one in particular as she continued to stare at the ceiling, gripping the sheets in white knuckles, "and he did it using _my_ hands." The quiet hiss of the Black Widow's voice was a thousand times more threatening than if she'd been screaming.

"Can you stand?" Clint asked, his expression revealing nothing as he watched her.

Slowly, Natasha sat up, throwing her partner a raised eyebrow as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Of course."

"One Asgardian and one Hulk for four Asgardians and two more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Seems like a pretty even trade," Tony said.

"That added strength isn't gonna mean much if Loki gets inside your heads. I _know_ I don't have to warn you all to watch your backs," Fury said, eying each of them in turn.

"So…what?" Tony started, glancing around. "Avengers, ho?"

Clint rolled his eyes. "Do you always have to have the last word, Stark?"

XxX

Steve and Bucky had no idea how long Loki left them alone, but they used every minute of that time, making up for the years of waste and heartache, not knowing when the trickster might take this time away from them. They held each other, touched, kissed, memorized as much as humanly possible.

"Heh, touching," Loki mocked when he finally reappeared at the cell door.

"What do _you_ know about touching?" Steve growled at the Asgardian, not looking at him.

Loki shrugged. "More than you might think. James…we haven't forgotten our little agreement, have we?"

Bucky tensed against Steve briefly before answering, "No." Then he pressed his lips to Steve's one last time, kissing him deeply. "I'm sorry," he whispered before pulling away, not looking back as he moved toward the door.

"For what? What agreement?" he demanded as Bucky closed the door behind him and locked it.

"He didn't tell you?" Loki teased, leaning heavily against the cell bars as Bucky came up behind him. "Oh, of course not; what _am_ I thinking? You see, Captain, your beloved made a deal for you while you slept…a sleep of his own making, I might add."

"Buck…what did you _do?_ " he asked, already feeling hurt that Bucky would use magic on him like that.

"He wants me to fuck him," Bucky mumbled, unable to look Steve in the eye.

"While you watch," Loki added blithely.

" _Why?_ " Steve asked, his gaze darting between the two of them.

"In exchange for my not laying a hand on you."

"Buck…you don't…please…I don't want you to do this for me. You've been through enough. Let me-"

" _No,_ " Bucky ground out, his voice harsh and uncompromising, though he still wasn't quite able to look him in the eye. "You think you know what you're talking about, but you _don't_. You have no idea what it's really like."

 _All this time…I couldn't do_ _ **anything**_ _,_ he spoke the words directly to Steve's mind. _I was helpless…so god damn helpless. Let me_ _ **do**_ _something. Let me at least protect you from_ _ **this.**_

"Bucky…" Steve whispered, feeling his insides twist in horrible knots as he watched Bucky push aside Loki's and his clothing, though he didn't undress them anymore than was absolutely necessary. Suddenly feeling like he might be sick, he turned away from the sight.

"Look at us, Steven," Loki ordered. "You _will_ watch this. I don't think I need to tell you what will happen if you refuse…or if you try to intervene."

No, Steve thought, shuddering as he turned back to face them. Loki didn't need to tell him what would happen. He would kill Bucky…for real this time…and there would be no coming back. So Steve stood, stone still, struggling to keep his face blank as he forced himself to watch Loki's sick display. It was just like any other time Bucky had brought a girl home. He'd always lied whenever his friend had asked if they made too much noise The walls of that crappy old apartment had been paper thin; of _course_ he could hear them, but he'd always pretended he couldn't…always pretended his own hurt feelings weren't so horribly tangled even _he_ couldn't understand them. Only he _did_ understand now, and that made this whole situation a thousand times more painful than anything that had come before it. Bucky never once looked at him, but he could still see the salty rivulets trickling silently down his cheeks as he thrust into the Asgardian over and over again.

"Steve Rogers, Captain America," Loki said, groaning in pleasure as he writhed lightly against the bars. "Leader of the Avengers, a world of strength at your disposal…and what good does that strength do you now?"

Steve didn't rise to the bait, but then, they all knew it didn't matter whether he did or not. Loki's barb had hit its mark. Steve had to fight turning away when Loki finally came. Bucky finished a few thrusts later, silent as ever. He stared pointedly at the floor as he hastily redressed himself. Loki went about composing himself at a much slower pace.

"Schmidt didn't really understand you, did he?" the trickster said languidly. "He couldn't conceive of a man who does not live for himself…especially a man such as you. He could never have _really_ hurt you, no matter how badly he wanted to. It takes someone who understands how you think to truly hurt you, and I understand you, Steven," he said, moving back to stand beside Bucky, draping an arm possessively around his shoulders. Bucky's head seemed to sink even further. Loki just smiled.

"You could _never_ understand, Loki," Steve said, trying not to show the trickster he was right…trying not to show how much this hurt him…for Bucky's sake.

"You think so?" Loki asked, his expression souring slightly. "Your precious _love_ comes in different forms, Captain."

"If you understood it at all, you wouldn't do this," he said, taking a step toward them, gripping the cell bars in white fists.

"Different forms," Loki chastised him, but then he tilted his head back, eyes closed, as if listening for something. Then he began to smile again. "Well, we can debate the moral quandaries of the thing called love later. For now, my dear captain, I believe we have guests."

XxX

The flight to Norway was tense and silent without Tony's constant clowning. Darcy tried her hand at it from time to time, but no one was much in the mood for it. The Asgardians were all somewhat uncomfortable in the 'giant metal bird', and Clint and Natasha could pretty much say what they needed to without words. With Sharon flying the plane and Tony legitimately…brooding…that pretty much left Darcy to awkward it out alone. As such, she was probably the most relieved when they touched down outside the old city of Tonsberg.

Tony took the lead this time, deploying the sensors in his suit. During the first incident with Loki, he and Bruce had designed a set of sensors specifically geared toward gamma radiation, but he'd never had a chance to actually use them. Even so, he'd implemented them into the design of his next upgrade, pending some kind of almost inevitable fallout from that first incident. Almost immediately, he picked up a signal.

"Well, _that_ was easy."

"Is it bad I wanna say, 'a little _too_ easy'?" Clint asked as the group followed Tony's lead.

"Not even a little bit," Natasha replied.

Thankfully, the sensors lead them away from the more modern, populous centers of the city and toward a more rundown, neglected area. Ultimately, they ended up at a building that almost had the look of a church…except for the lack of anything even _like_ Christianity about the place.

"This is what we're looking for," Tony said decisively

"You sure?" Darcy asked.

"The readings are strongest here," Tony explained as he headed inside. "Which means that a whole lot of that lovely Tesseract-based magic Banner was talking about's been taking place here, namely teleporting."

"This place…was sacred," Hogun said slowly as he looked around the old building, seeing a relief of Yggdrasil carved into one of the walls, "to the Midgardians who once worshipped us."

"So where to now, oh fearless one?" Darcy asked, her weapon at the ready.

"We go down," Clint said without even having to think about it. Instantly, they all turned to look at him.

"Clint?" Natasha started uncertainly, taking a step toward him.

"Legolas?" Tony also spoke. Had his face not been concealed by the mask, there would have almost certainly been a raised eyebrow involved.

"I think…I know this place," the archer said slowly, glancing around, his eyes suddenly awash in memory.

"Well…any suggestions for _getting_ down?" Tony asked. "All I'm seeing are stairs leading _up_."

"This is where he brought us…before," he said, moving slowly toward the massive relief on the wall. Reaching out as if in a trance, he shifted one of the knots of the great World Tree…and as the section of wall slowly began to shift aside, he suddenly seemed to snap out of it with a sharp intake of breath, nearly falling to his knees. Natasha was at his side in an instant.

"Are you here?" she asked him quietly, to which he nodded, giving her a light punch on the shoulder before leading the way through the newly revealed passage.

The opening the wall provided wasn't particularly large. It connected to a set of stairs that descended deep into the Earth, lit only occasionally by a torch lit with some sort of magic fire. For the torches to be lit…someone was definitely here.

There was no way to know just how long the descent lasted. Moving down through the silent gloom can seem to take much longer than it actually does. Whatever the case, they emerged from the stairs into a stone corridor and Clint continued to lead the way, his footsteps as sure as if he'd never forgotten.

"You've come a long way to die, Midgardians…Asgardians," Loki's voice called to them from the darkness beyond the corridor, echoing the words of the creature who had sired him.

"Where's Rogers?" Clint demanded, swiftly fitting an arrow to his bow. "What did you do to him?"

"I? I've done nothing. My Winter Soldier is the one you want. Still, if you're so anxious to play, I'm always keen for a little fun."

"I'll just bet you are," Tony growled quietly, searching fruitlessly for the source of the voice.

"Where are you hiding, you silver-tongued murderer?" Volstagg demanded, turning about along with all the others.

"I'm here among you…but am I here…" his voice came from the left, "or here?" now from the right. "I could be anywhere. Even right behind you."

Each one of them spun around at the insinuation, each hearing his lilting voice right in their ear. None came to face with him, though.

"Fucking pipsqueak! Come out!" Clint challenged.

"Pipsqueak, is it, my dear Agent Barton? We shall see."

Within moments, Loki himself appeared among them, smiling lazily. Clint took aim and was about to fire off a shot, but something made him hesitate, made him aim the shot a little wide. Then he blinked and the next thing he knew, he was staring at his own arrow…embedded in the ancient mortar not two inches from where Natasha stood.

_Oh, God…_

"You _bastard!_ " Clint shouted, flinging his bow down in disgust.

"Are you sure that's wise, Agent Barton?" the voice teased.

"Barton, pick up the bow," Natasha ordered harshly, not allowing herself to show how shaken she was.

" _No._ You _know_ I don't need it. He's not gonna trick me again."

"Idiot. That's just what he wants," the Black Widow muttered angrily.

"Oh, it really doesn't matter to me one way or the other," Loki said, finally appearing in the darkened entryway at the end of the corridor. As he phased into existence, torches flared to life in the room behind him, revealing Bucky standing just a few feet back from him, and Steve locked inside a cell even further in.

"Guys!" he shouted to them. He'd actually _been_ shouting ever since he'd first heard their voices, but Loki had blocked it somehow. "What the Hell are you doing?"

"Saving your ass, pretty boy. What does it look like?" Tony answered.

Banging a fist against one of the bars, Steve ground out, "You shouldn't have come here."

"Hey, Carter, which one is this?" Natasha called over her shoulder, not quite looking away from the potential enemy.

"Definitely the Winter Soldier," Sharon answered, a small tremor of fear running down her spine as she saw the look of absolute hatred that was now fixed on her…but that look of hate on the man's face somehow managed to twist itself into a sneer.

"Agent Carter, it's good to see you again. I don't believe we ever had the chance to finish our previous discussion."

"Try something, Twinkie. Just try it," Darcy challenged, leveling her gun at him. The Soldier actually laughed at this.

"Don't you remember what happened last time, Agent Lewis?"

"That was one bullet in your shoulder. Let's see how you take two in the forehead."

"Darcy…don't… _please_ ," Steve begged, gripping the bars tightly.

"What do you want us to do, Rogers? Let him walk all over us?" Clint asked, drawing a knife.

"No…but…God, I _told_ you you shouldn't have come here!"

The Soldier continued to sneer as he glanced back at Steve. "They wouldn't have…except Bucky went and told them where to find you."

"…What?"

"He couldn't take you out of here himself, so he went and begged them for their help, and it just makes things easier, really. Now you'll _all_ die here. I'll kill your friends in front of you and I'll kill you last, _Steve_."

"You kill us?" Fandral asked, as if the very idea were laughable…but none of the Avengers were laughing.

"Don't underestimate him," Sharon warned. "He's probably armed with Nidhogg's Fire."

"So, Steve, which one shall I kill first?" the Soldier pondered, gazing at each one of them in turn, but inevitably, as they had all known it would, his gaze returned to Sharon.

"I'll destroy you…Peggy…I'll wipe every trace of you from the god damn planet," he hissed at her, sounding as if he couldn't completely tell the difference between them anymore…and wasting no more time, the Soldier sprang into action, launching himself at Sharon.

"Bucky, _don't!_ " Steve cried out, but before the mercenary could do any damage, he was intercepted by Tony.

"Hey, Winter A-hole, remember that little game we started last week? We never did get to finish that, did we."

The Soldier chuckled. "No. No, I suppose we didn't."

Almost in the same breath, Loki had engaged the four Asgardians, keeping them distracted while his pet took on the Avengers. For a time, though, the Soldier and Tony seemed to be pretty evenly matched, each taking blows that would have put a normal man in the hospital. But then the Soldier deployed the same trick he'd used against Tony in their first encounter: teleporting behind him. In one fluid motion, he wrenched the billionaire's left arm behind his back, twisting mercilessly as he kicked his legs out from under him, leaving him disoriented. Tony actually cried out in pain as Bucky twisted his arm.

"Did you never wonder what would happen if Steve suddenly decided you were a threat?" the Soldier taunted him as he slammed him to the ground, forcing his knee into the base of his spine, crunching right through the armor and causing shards of the metal to dig into him. Tony barely managed to keep back a scream.

"You really are nothing without this tin can. Allow me to demonstrate," the mercenary said, using one hand to continue to twist his victim's arm while he used the other to dig into the armor at his shoulder, his fingers tearing through metal, flesh, muscle, and finally into bone. Tony couldn't help but scream now.

"Buck, stop! _Please stop!_ " Steve begged him, but his voice could barely be heard over the sound of Iron Man screaming in agony. It was over so quickly, no one had a chance to intervene. With a sickening, wet _crunch_ , the Soldier tore Tony's left arm clean off, tossing it to the side like so much useless scrap.

"TONY!" Steve shouted.

"We'll just let the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist stew over that, I think. Who's next?" the Soldier asked as he climbed off of Tony, who lay completely still. As the three women all took aim at him, Clint moved in to help Tony.

As the sound of gunfire exploded overhead, the archer rolled his teammate onto his back, being careful of the stump that was now gushing a fountain of blood onto the floor.

"Come on, asshole, snap out of it. That's gonna bleed out if we don't come up with something fast."

Barely managing a nod, Tony slowly started to move the hand he still had over to his bleeding stump. Understanding his intention, Clint helped him move a little faster. Once Tony had his remaining stabilizer positioned against the bloody wound, he set it to a very low burn, working to cauterize the wound as best he could, averting the crisis for the moment.

"You ought to get clear," Clint advised.

"What? And let you guys have all the fun? Forget that," Tony groaned as Clint helped him to stand. While this had been going on, the three gun women and the Soldier had shifted their battle further into the room. Bucky, of course, had guns of his own, and it had turned into an old-fashioned firefight, with the combatants taking cover and unleashing barrages of fire whenever they could. Darcy was already down for the count, having taken a bad hit to the leg, but Natasha and Sharon were still in the game. The Winter Soldier did tire of that game eventually, though.

The four remaining Avengers were almost prepared for the move when it came, but the Soldier was still too fast for any of them. He slipped up behind Sharon and grabbed her, teleporting to several different spots throughout the space just to disorient her and the others. By the time he came to a standstill, Sharon looked ready to lose her lunch.

The Soldier held Sharon in front of him as a shield. Before she had a chance to recover from the disorientation of the teleporting, he jabbed his hand into the place he knew his bullet had struck her only days before. She screamed in pain before her body went limp in his grasp. Slowly he wrapped both hands around her throat, beginning to squeeze.

"I suppose I don't have time to do this the way I'd like," he hissed in her face as her fingers scrabbled desperately at his unyielding hands. "So you ought to be grateful, Sharon. This'll all be over quick."

"Buck, stop! You can't do this! You _can't!_ " Steve pleaded with him. If Sharon died…if Bucky killed her…

"Maybe _Bucky_ can't," the Soldier growled, his gaze briefly flickering to the captain, "but the Winter Soldier certainly can," he finished, his grip growing all the tighter. A tiny, strangled sound escaped Sharon's mouth as her arms fell limply at her sides, her desperation no match for the Soldier's strength.

The only thing that had kept Steve in the cell these few days was his promise not to leave without Bucky; this cell wasn't really much of a prison to him…and now he couldn't just stand back and watch anymore. He _had_ to step in. He was the only one who had any prayer of getting through to Bucky…and if he couldn't do that, he may as well kiss him goodbye. Gripping the bars again, he easily bent them aside, slipping through the small space.

"Put her down," he ordered. " _I'm_ the one you want. Don't punish her for my mistakes. Punish _me._ "

"Oh, I am, Steve. I know hurting you directly won't do anything. I have to go through others…cut them down…just to get to _you._ "

"Please…don't _do_ this. This isn't _you_ ," he said slowly, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice as he began to move forward.

"Ah, ah, ah," the Soldier warned, reaching into his jacket and drawing out a fresh gun, aiming it straight at Steve's heart and stopping him short. "I haven't had a chance to test this gun yet. It's the only one of its kind. The bullets are packed with Nidhogg's Fire. A shot from this just might be enough to kill you."

"Then kill me," Steve said, inching forward one step at a time.

"You're really gonna do that?" the Soldier asked, sounding almost hurt. "You'd die for her? You'd choose her over me…again?"

"It isn't about choosing. I'd die because I don't wanna watch you do this to yourself. You love me…and I love you. I know that now, and nothing can take that away…not really…but it doesn't change the fact that I hurt you…and I should pay for that…me. Nobody else," he said, spreading his arms wide, as if offering himself up as a target. The very air between them seemed charged.

Then, suddenly, an arrow whizzed by, burying itself in Bucky's left shoulder and exploding. Crying out, he dropped Sharon instantly and Natasha moved in to help her get clear, as she was barely conscious. Glancing up, both Steve and Bucky saw Clint positioned in the rafters, just lowering the bow he'd retrieved. While they'd been distracted, he'd used the opportunity to climb to a higher vantage point to fire off a shot that wouldn't hit Sharon. Either fortunately or unfortunately, the explosion didn't do much damage. The Soldier's shattered metal shoulder began to knit itself back together almost immediately. That didn't mean he wasn't angry, though.

Giving a shout of rage, the Soldier fired off a round at Clint, but he rolled away, dropping easily back to the ground. In an instant, they were both ready to fire again, bow and gun at the ready…but as they stood frozen like that, and the Soldier looked directly into the archer's eyes, he began to realize something.

_Those eyes…they have the same eyes._

Not the same color, really…his were a cool blue where hers had been a deep brown, but the _look_ in those eyes was the same…fixed hell bent on a target, the determination to never be stopped, not even by death…the look of a marksman. He had seen a woman with those same eyes face down tanks and come out on top. The genetic resemblance had been lost, but the gift of deadly aim had certainly been passed down. He had been so fixated on Sharon Carter, he had failed to see it until now.

"Of course. It makes sense now," the Soldier said, chuckling as he lowered his weapon. "You're one of _hers_ , aren't you."

"The Hell are you talkin' about?" Clint asked, lowering his bow only slightly.

"You're a Carter, Hawkeye, specifically a descendant of _Peggy_ Carter. No one else in the _world_ could shoot like that. Sharon lied to me."

"Is…that true?" Steve asked, glancing back at his comrade. Suddenly looking a little lost, Clint's gaze shifted rapidly between the captain and the Soldier.

"That…that can't be true," he said, shaking his head. "No way. My family died in a car crash."

" _Exactly_. Peggy's only kid died in a car crash along with the rest of her family. Well…apparently that's not entirely true. Hah! I should have killed you that night in the bar!" the Soldier half-shouted, several notes of hysteria entering his voice as he raised his gun once again.

Seeing his little soldier beginning to lose control of the situation, Loki quickly ducked out of his game of cat and mouse with his brother's friends, coming to his minion's side and quickly laying a hand over the gun.

"You mustn't waste such a weapon on the likes of him, little one," Loki said, soothingly stroking the hand that held the gun.

"Master…let me kill him," the Soldier murmured, struggling to maintain control of his rage. "I _have_ to kill him."

"Not yet, you don't. Think of how much better it would be if you waited until you could do it slow and painful. He deserves to suffer, after all," he said, taking his creation's face in his hands.

"All right…Master…all right," he said slowly, leaning into the touch.

While this was happening, and Steve was struggling not to stride forward and tear Loki away from Bucky, Clint called out to him.

"Cap, you might need this."

Turning back to Clint, Steve was just in time to catch his shield. He hadn't noticed during all the commotion, but Clint had been carrying it strapped to his back. The moment he grasped it was the moment Loki began speaking again.

"I'm truly sorry, my friends, but this is something I had not foreseen. We shall have to cut this little interlude short, as this final scene is one that must needs be acted alone."

With that, Loki grabbed both Bucky and Steve and the three of them vanished into thin air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thing with Clint and Peggy…that's actually my girlfriend's head canon for those two, and I liked it, so I decided to slip it in. More on that later.
> 
> And if there are any Clamp fans out there, you'll know what I'm talking about…but I think those ladies have gifted me with a rather disturbing fondness for the ripping or cutting off of arms. Eheh.


	10. In the Arms Of Your Angel

When the three men reappeared from the void, they ended up in a darkened room, but a room that was still light by comparison with the void.

"Where are we?" Steve asked, stumbling away from Loki as best he could.

"One level below your friends' feet. Agent Barton never knew about this area, though, so don't count on them coming to the rescue."

Looking around, Steve could vaguely see that they were in a circular chamber. One corridor seemed like it might lead back up. The only other thing to be seen was a darkened alcove off the corridor he couldn't quite see into.

"In case you were wondering, this is the place your sweet Bucky slept all those months after my capture."

"Why did you stop him killing Barton just now?" Steve asked, still getting used to the feel of having his shield in hand again.

"Honestly…because he probably would have descended into a berserker rage if I'd let it go on, and I need him to be in control just now."

"Why? Why did you bring us here?" Steve continued to question, turning to look back at them.

"Because this shall be your final battlefield, Captain. I had hoped to have the others die in front of you, but this will have to do."

Just as Steve was about to continue his line of questioning, his hand brushed against something. Running his hand along the object, he realized it was the golden apple from Yggdrasil, wedged between the shield and one of the straps. Clint had come through after all. Hoping his face hadn't given anything away, Steve continued with, "Just what are you planning?"

"Do you want your lover back, Steven?"

"More than anything," he said, keeping his expression hard as he stared the trickster down. Just what did Loki have up his sleeve?

" _Anything?_ " Loki asked, a spark of interest in his eyes. "Let us put that claim to the test. You see, Steve, if I am to give up my dearest possession, I must have fair value from you in return."

"What do you mean?"

"What would you be willing to give up…if I said I would let him go…free him from my influence?"

"Anything," Steve repeated. "Anything that's mine to give." He didn't have much, and he couldn't imagine what he _did_ have that Loki could want, but if it was within his power, he would gladly give it up.

"Tell me then, my dear captain, what it is that makes you so special. Why is it that you have value in the eyes of your _fellow man?_ "

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm not asking why you were chosen. I know that. I'm asking if you would have any value to the world if you _hadn't_ been. What would you be without Dr. Abraham Erskine?"

"Not much, I guess," Steve said slowly. He hadn't thought much on that question since receiving the serum. He didn't _want_ to remember the scrawny kid who could barely throw a punch. What he'd said to Schmidt seventy years ago was true. There _was_ nothing special about him…except for the fact that, as his mother had once said, he had no quit in him. But was that really of any use without the muscle to back it up? As he thought about it, Steve found himself haunted by Tony's words.

" _You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a_ _ **bottle.**_ _"_

"What would you do, then, if I asked for _that_ as my price? If, in return for your lover, I asked for everything Project Rebirth had given you? What would you do?"

"Can…can you _do_ that?" he asked, only now beginning to feel nervous.

Loki just grinned, tilting his head to the side. "Do you really think I would ask if I couldn't do it?"

"You might," he said, delaying answering by a few minutes, and making the choice that was no choice at all.

"Well?" Loki pressed. "It's a simple answer. Yes or no…or does this man not mean as much to you as you claim?"

"He's _everything_ to me," Steve fired back, still hesitating, as he'd only just now remembered the Norns' warning about giving his life for Bucky. This…wouldn't _technically_ be giving his life…just everything that was keeping him alive. Without the enhancements, he was constantly living at death's door, and Tony and Bruce had once explained to him that without the serum, his weak body simply wouldn't be able to handle the planetary changes of the past seven decades. Certainly, he still had the apple, but there was no guarantee it would heal Bucky of the trickster's influence…and if Loki was offering him a guarantee…

… _but Loki always lies._

Except…what reason did he have to lie about this? There was a clear gain for him to make here: the essential elimination of Captain America…the downfall of the leader of the Avengers. Just because it wasn't through death didn't mean this would destroy Captain America any less. He would never be an Avenger again, but he would have Bucky back…and at the end of the day, wasn't that really the only battle worth winning? The others could easily carry on without him…those who were still living, at least. If what Loki had said was true, and Thor and Bruce really were dead, he'd already failed them as their leader. Maybe it _was_ time for Captain America to step down?

"You're trying my patience, Captain. What is your answer?" Loki's voice suddenly broke in on his thoughts.

"All right," Steve said, not giving himself the chance to deliberate any further.

"Nn…nn… _no_ ," Bucky's voice suddenly entered the conversation. The two enemies quickly glanced at him. As had happened before, his face seemed to be blank, but when he spoke again, struggling to form the words, his mouth almost seemed to move independently of the rest of him. "Y-you…can't…don't…d-do… _this!_ "

Feeling his shoulders begin to tremble as he sighed, Steve shook his head. "I _have_ to, Buck. Couldn't live with myself if I chose strength over you."

"Steve…Steve…" his mouth pleaded over and over again.

"Are we quite finished here?" Loki asked, raising a hand.

"Just get it over with," Steve half-growled, keeping his eyes fixed on Bucky. He didn't want to see his powerful limbs revert to their spindly, wet-noodle state.

It was a slow process…undoing everything Erskine had done. Steve could almost swear he _felt_ the energy draining from his body…felt the serum unbinding from his cells, leaving them shriveled and weak. As everything that had made him Captain America was slowly drained away, Steve kept his gaze fixed on his best friend.

 _I'm so sorry, Abraham,_ he apologized in his heart, apologized to the man who had given his last breath to make him what he was, _but I can't lose him…not this time…I_ _ **can't.**_ Besides, of what benefit was his great strength? What was it good for…if it could not save _him?_

Steve's legs gave out on him when Loki finally released him. The shield clanged harshly against the stone floor, his arms barely enough to hold it up. His uniform had a bit of stretch to it, so it didn't fall off, but it was still ridiculously loose on him now. He was back to what he'd been before…plain old Steve Rogers, the scrawny asthmatic with nothing in the world but a sketchpad, his nerve, and his best friend…and…did he really even have _that_ anymore?

Looking to Loki, Steve saw the trickster wasn't even looking at him. His gaze was transfixed by the energy he held suspended between his hands. The stolen power had solidified into a tiny crystal, which flickered blue and red by turns.

"It doesn't look like much, does it," Loki said softly, running a hand along the gem's pulsing aura, "but it's enough power to change the world."

"Our bargain?" Steve reminded him. Slowly, Loki looked up at him.

"Of course, Steve. Just as-"

Whatever he'd been about to say was cut off by Bucky's fist smashing into his face. The blow took him completely by surprise and actually sent him reeling, giving Bucky the opportunity to snatch the crystal from him.

"Bucky?" Steve whispered in disbelief.

"Eighteen months!" the incensed soldier screamed. "Eighteen months I let you have your god damn way. No more! I won't let you do this!"

"You…you…" Loki gasped several times, the look of astonishment on his face slowly shifting into one of anger.

"You can't let him take this from you," Bucky scolded as he turned back to Steve. "You'll _die_ without it."

"Buck…it…it's really you?" Steve asked, feeling a faint smile cross his face. Just as he was beginning to move toward him, though, Loki was at his back, wrapping an arm securely around his neck and placing a hand over his eyes again.

"Insolent pup!" Loki hissed as Bucky struggled fruitlessly against his grip. "You think you can just throw off my control without consequence? Clearly, I've been too lenient with you. Well, I'll _teach_ you, my little soldier…a lesson you'll not soon forget."

Then, as Loki forced him to his knees, Bucky began to scream…hideously…the most horrific sound Steve had ever heard.

"Stop it!" he shouted. "Let him go! We had a _deal!_ "

Even after Loki released him, Bucky continued to scream, clutching his head in agony. Loki shook his head as he picked up the fallen crystal, shaping it into a pendant and attaching it to the dog tags that were still around Bucky's neck. "As I recall, that deal was your power for my releasing him. I _didn't_ release him. He broke free on his own. No deal."

"Then I think you owe me something," he said, his face twisting in anger, even though he knew anger wasn't at all intimidating coming from him just now.

Loki chuckled as Bucky's screams finally subsided. "Try and take it…if you can."

"Bucky?" Steve called softly, afraid of what he might see when his friend looked up again.

For several agonizing moments, Bucky knelt there, eyes down, drawing heavy, shaky breaths. When he _did_ look up, there was no sign of James Buchanan Barnes in his eyes. He was hardly even the Winter Soldier anymore. He had become something wild…deranged… _inhuman_ …and Steve barely had time to comprehend this before he was flying straight at him.

The blow from Bucky's metal arm connected with the shield, but Steve no longer had the strength to stand against it, and was sent crashing into the wall. Dazed and already badly injured, he barely managed to roll away from his friend's next attack, leaving the now useless shield behind.

"Buck…stop!" he begged, dodging blow after blow. "Please…remember who you are!"

"He's _not_ Bucky," Loki informed him from the sidelines. "Your lover _died_ ten minutes ago."

Hearing this, Steve was unable to dodge the next blow and he went flying again, Loki's voice ringing in his ears as he crashed to the ground.

"He is only a shadow of what was. Your efforts are useless."

_No…it's not true, it's not true…_

The phrase repeated itself in his head over and over again as he struggled back to his feet.

" _Stay down!_ " Bucky snarled, beating him down yet again.

"Well," Steve started, feeling his heart begin to break again as he spit out a mouth full of blood, "if you really were Bucky…you'd know _that's_ not gonna happen." To illustrate the point, the former Captain America staggered up from the ground once more.

His face twisting into an even more hideous scowl, Bucky quickly drew one of his blades, slashing it violently across Steve's stomach.

Steve cried out in pain as he went down. This time, he didn't get up…and through his hacking coughs and gurgling struggles for breath, he vaguely realized his wasn't the only voice crying out.

" _Steve!_ " he heard Clint's voice shouting. Glancing in the direction of the sound, he caught sight of Barton, Natasha, and Tony standing in the corridor entrance, seemingly blocked by some kind of force field. One of the Asgardians…Volstagg…stepped up from behind them and smashed his battleaxe against the barrier, but this only served to shatter a good chunk of the axe head. They couldn't help him; he was alone.

Sneering, Bucky knelt beside him, clearly ready to watch him die in a pool of his own blood. The crystal containing his power dangled just out of his reach, and even if he _could_ reach it, Bucky would break his fingers before he could actually do anything with it. He was dying; he knew it. Even without the knife wound, he could feel the poison spreading through his weak body. But he couldn't just leave Bucky like this. If he was still in there somewhere, he couldn't let him survive to know he'd killed him…and if there was no hope left…perhaps he could still set him free somehow. There wasn't a lot of time left. He had only minutes left to act.

"So," Bucky began, his voice an odd shade of quiet joy, "do you need me to end this?"

"No," Steve groaned, fighting his dying body as he crawled toward his best friend, warm blood painting the floor beneath him. "It's not…over…yet."

Then, using just about the last of his strength, Steve got to his knees and flung his arms around Bucky, holding him in the tightest embrace he could manage. The Soldier was so shocked by the move, he didn't even think to pull back…and all the while, Steve's hand was wrapping around the untested gun.

"If you…can't ever…come back, then…let's go together," he cried softly, pressing his lips to the corner of Bucky's mouth as he pressed the muzzle of the gun against his side. "I love you," he whispered as he fired.

Bucky's cry of pain as the bullet tore into him rent Steve's heart in pieces all over again…but it was what followed that was even more horrifying.

Bucky went limp in Steve's arms, and as he began to buckle under the weight, he heard a pained whisper near his ear.

"S…Steve?"

Then, as they collapsed to the floor together, the former Avenger felt an entirely different burn in his stomach. Glancing down, he saw a bright light flare up from between their bodies. Bucky had somehow taken the crystal to the bleeding wound in his stomach and smashed it. Already, he could feel the energy flowing back into him.

The bonding process was much quicker this time…or perhaps he was just more familiar with how it worked and it just _seemed_ to go that much faster. His body bulked out again and his breath started to come easier, and already he could feel the wound in his stomach beginning to knit itself back together. He would still suffer the effects of Nidhogg's Fire poisoning, but it wouldn't kill him. But…Bucky…

The moment he was able, he gathered the dying man in his arms. The bullet had pierced a lung and he was already drowning in his own blood…but he was smiling.

"No…" Steve cried. "Don't die. _Don't die!_ "

"It…it's too late…Steve," he rasped, shaking his head as blood dribbled from his mouth.

"You know who I am," he whispered. "Your heart's been freed from Loki's spell."

_But at what cost?_

"Steve…I…I love y-"

"Don't you do that," Steve snarled, trying to be gentle as he laid him down. "Don't you _dare_ do that! You're not leaving me again! Do you hear me?"

As he shouted at Bucky, he scrambled as fast as he could toward his shield, retrieving the golden apple from where it was still securely wedged. Already, he could feel the delirium from the poison beginning to set in. No! He couldn't lose it now. He just _couldn't!_ Bucky still needed him…and he could see he was already slipping away as he gathered him back in his arms. Forcefully, he pressed the fruit to his mouth, even as his skin began to burn and darkness started to edge in around his vision.

"Bucky, listen to me. I need you to eat this."

Bucky was too far gone to question him. Weakly, he bit into the apple, barely managing to chew the small bite.

"That's it. Chew it. Swallow it," Steve continued to urge him on through each bite. Nothing else in the world mattered anymore except for this, not even the fact that his brain was on fire. He focused on Bucky for as long as he was able to before finally succumbing to the fever.

XxX

Everyone else present watched the two men with baited breath, right up until the moment Steve collapsed beside Bucky, the apple in his hand only half-eaten.

For several moments, the two of them lay still beside each other…but then the color gradually began to return to Bucky's face and he slowly reached for the half-finished fruit, just as slowly finishing it off. Then, as the healing effects spread throughout his body, he sat up and turned to his friend, worry clouding his face at how tortured Steve already looked under the influence of the poison.

 _You_ _ **did**_ _save me,_ he thought as he ran his fingers through his golden hair. _You came for me after all._

"Well," Loki's voice suddenly broke in on the moment, "at that, I will have to say I know when I am beaten.

Bucky slowly glanced back at the Asgardian. He had almost forgotten the trickster was present until now.

"Just like that? After everything you did…that's all you have to say? You're just running away?" Bucky asked, his voice quiet, but on the verge of igniting.

"Oh, no, little one, _certainly_ not running away. Simply making a tactical retreat," Loki explained, coming to kneel beside them. "You see, I've got what I need from the two of you."

Acting on instinct, Bucky clutched Steve protectively against his chest. "What…what you _need?_ What are you talking about?"

"While it was fun watching you break, and I certainly would have preferred that you'd killed each other…that was not the true purpose of my plan. There are, after all, much bigger things going on in the universe than you can comprehend, and if I need to wait to see the Avengers fall completely, then so be it."

"And what did you need from us, exactly?" Bucky asked, growling low in his throat as he stared the trickster down.

"That, my little soldier, is, as you humans say, for me to know and you to find out," he said, reaching forward to gently stroke the side of his face. It took every ounce of the soldier's control not to flinch away from him. "But be comforted in knowing that I _will_ be back for you one day. You will not escape… _none_ of you. You've only won one battle, and that _certainly_ doesn't win the war."

"Then I'm gonna promise you this right now, Loki," Bucky started, meeting his tormentor's gaze unflinchingly. "If you ever… _ever_ …try to harm even one hair on his head, you won't have to worry about your god damn Other anymore…cuz I'll kill you myself."

"You should be a bit more concerned over it than that. You know what's coming…but we will see. As I said, I have all that I need," Loki said, chuckling quietly as he lowered the barrier that kept the others out.

For a moment, they all started to rush him, whatever weapons they had at the ready, but they all stopped as he began to back away, his hands raised warningly.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah," he chided them. "Do you think I've been idle in my prison cell this past year? No. I've been training. You were able to take me last time, but you will not do so again. You have won today, little Avengers, but I'll return. I'll slip back among you when you least expect it," he finished, offering them all a wink before vanishing.

"Blast!" Fandral shouted. "Where's he got to this time?"

"Never mind him; he could be anywhere. We'll worry about it later," Natasha said, moving to kneel beside Bucky and Steve. "Sergeant Barnes?"

"Yes, Ma'am?" he mumbled, barely glancing at her.

"Are you here?"

At this, he gave her his full attention. "Yes, Ma'am, one hundred percent. The Winter Soldier's gone…so far as I can tell, anyway. I'm just…" he trailed off, gazing back down at the unconscious man in his arms.

"Don't worry," the Black Widow said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "He'll get through it. It'll just be Hell for a few hours." It was strange for her…to be so empathetic, she knew, but she understood. She knew what it was like to worry for your partner.

"Okay, great job, everyone," Tony said, leaning slightly against the wall. "Now if we could get the sleeping beauty out of here, that would be great, cuz I don't know about the rest of you, but I could definitely do with a nap."

XxX

Jane wasn't really keeping track of time anymore. She knew Thor's parents had been in and out of the room where he was resting, but she wasn't sure how long ago that had been. She was stuck in a bit of a daze…and as such, hardly noticed when her mind was taken over.

"I know you can hear me, Thor," she said, her voice taking on an entirely different inflection as she bent down close to him. The thunderer's empty eyes became a little more aware.

"Brother?"

"Yes. I see you're mending nicely. Ah, well, I suppose we'll just have to try again later."

"Where are you?"

"Better you don't know, I think. All you really need to know is that I'm leaving your precious world be for the moment. Unfortunately, I have no more time to waste playing with your little friends."

"Where will you go?" Thor asked, a hint of sadness entering the still hazy expression.

"Somewhere I won't be found, so don't bother looking. I know more about this universe than even your wisest sages."

"Loki…please…don't leave," he pleaded softly, still not quite able to move.

"Do you _still_ want me to 'come home'? Even after everything that's happened?"

"You are…my little brother."

"We've been through this already," Loki spoke through Jane, using her body to mount his brother's immobile one. Gently, she took his face in her hands, looking down at him with an expression that was nothing like her. "We can never go back. You have… _we_ …have hurt each other too much…in ways you can never understand. So spare me your tears and give your _brother_ a kiss goodbye."

"Will you ever…come back?"

"We'll see each other again, though…I don't know that you'll recognize me when we do. Until then…good night, sweet prince," she said, leaning down and pressing her lips to his. The kiss was full of hunger and heat, but it lasted for no more than he space of a breath. Then she sat up…and he was gone.

"Loki?" Thor called out, finally breaking out of the half-trance and sitting up. His hand went straight to her cheek, stroking gently as he called out for his brother. For a moment, Jane just looked dazed, but when her gaze finally focused on him, it was definitely _her_ behind it. Loki was really gone.

"You're awake!" Jane cried out, throwing her arms around him. "Oh, God, Thor…I thought I'd killed you."

"It's all right. It wasn't your fault," he reassured her, gently running his fingers through her hair. He returned her embrace just as fiercely, but the expression on his face was torn.


	11. The Right Partner

For what felt like a long time, Steve was trapped somewhere between nightmares and reality. The only constant was the pain flaring throughout his body. Sometimes, he thought he could hear Bucky's voice in his ear…feel a calming hand on his shoulder. Other times, he was certain he'd been too late and Bucky was dead…had left him behind all over again. In those moments, he screamed in both mental and physical agony, feeling this Hell was his just punishment. Though…he did have to admit he _preferred_ this to the thought of waking up to a world where Bucky had died a second time. That world was empty of everything that had made life worth living.

All the while, memories and faces flashed through his mind: his mother, the father he'd never really known, Schmidt, Peggy, Howard, Bucky, the other commandos, Loki, his teammates on the Avengers, Fury, Dr. Erskine…

" _I'm sorry," he apologized to the old man again and again._

" _For what?"_

" _I gave your last gift away like it was nothing. I was selfish…and in the end…"_

" _You don't yet know if it was for nothing," Abraham finished for him when he was unable to. As he nodded, the doctor laid a hand on his shoulder. "I would say, Steven, if anyone has earned the right to be selfish, it is you. You have given all you could time and time again. No one could have given more. I knew I did right to choose you."_

" _But…if Bucky hadn't broken the crystal…everything you worked for would have been lost."_

" _It still might be," the older man said matter-of-factly. "I think we both know you will not survive if your friend did not. Did you know, Steven…that Schmidt killed my family?"_

_Steve looked up at this. He vaguely recalled hearing something like that from Peggy, but this was the first time he'd heard it from the doctor himself._

" _My wife…and our two children…he placed them in a concentration camp in order to force me to help him…and there they died. My reasons for joining the SSR…for giving you the serum…were not even remotely unselfish. I wanted that monster to die," the old man snarled quietly, "and I was prepared to pay any price to make that happen…prepared to risk your life for my revenge. It was **why** I was so driven to select the perfect candidate."_

" _Yeah, well…Schmidt **needed** to go down."_

" _Be that as it may, you are not hearing what I am saying. Before what happened on the train, you were just serving your country, as any good soldier would; but after you thought your friend dead, you were **truly** fighting a war. You vowed to see HYDRA **burn** , just as I did. What happened in Tonsberg was no different. It is not wrong to want to change the world for love…to rethink what we think we know and to reevaluate what we believe to be important. It just took you a little longer to figure out what really mattered to you. When you thought you might lose James, or thought he might suffer, what had been important before lost its meaning. One could hardly blame you for choosing love over perfection."_

" _It wasn't really a choice," Steve admitted. "I understood the pros and cons…the consequences…but there was never any doubt in my mind what I was going to do…even if other people got hurt. I don't know if Captain America can think like that…and if I'm not Captain America…who am I?"_

_Erskine gave a small smile at this, sitting down beside him. "You are Steve Rogers, and I can tell you right now, that is much better than any Captain America. After all, it was not Captain America who saved Bucky's life. It was Steve Rogers."_

"But I-"

Before Steve could say anymore, he suddenly found himself lying on a bed. He recognized the ceiling overhead as the med ward aboard the Helicarrier. He'd been here only a few days ago after his first brush with Nidhogg's Fire…

…and that thought immediately brought everything crashing back with painful clarity. When he tried to sit up, though, he found himself pinned down by a warm weight on his chest.

Glancing down, he was blessed with the sight of Bucky lying there with him, the moisture of his breath warm against his neck. Steve had to fight the urge to crush him against his chest, instead settling for wrapping both arms gently around him, so as not to wake him.

"Oh, God…oh, God," he whispered over and over again, feeling several tears slide down his cheeks.

_You're all right…you're still alive…still with me. I was so afraid…you'd left me. Don't ever leave me again, you God damn punk!_

"Oh, conscious. Awesome," a new voice interrupted. Steve looked up to see Clint striding into the med ward. He didn't even bother to wipe the tears away.

"How long have I been out?" he asked, absently stroking Bucky's hair.

"Well…today's technically the third day, but it's, like, seven in the morning still, so I wouldn't count it. Forty-eight hours, Cap. As far as I know, lover boy there only passed out a few hours ago. Didn't wanna leave your side and all that junk."

"Is he…all right?" Steve asked, looking down at Bucky again. "The apple worked?"

"Seems to have. He's healthy and he's been a perfect little angel…except for the whole 'refusing to leave your side' thing…even when Fury was demanding to debrief him."

"Heh, wish I could have seen that."

"Oh, you'll get to. Fury'll be back."

"And the others?"

"Darcy's gonna be on a crutch for a little bit, but she's mending. So's Sharon."

"And…Tony?" Steve asked, afraid to know. Clint shook his head.

"We couldn't save the arm. I think we all knew that when it happened. There was nothing clean about that break. The joint was pretty much destroyed, but you know Stark. He's not letting it slow him down. He and Banner are already working on a prosthetic."

"Banner?" Steve said, his head snapping up. "He's alive?"

Clint raised an eyebrow. "Yeah."

"It's just…Loki told me he and Thor had been killed."

"Yes, because the pipsqueak's usually _so_ honest," the archer said with a roll of his eyes.

"What happened?"

"It's not that he didn't _try_ to kill us. When your friend brought Jane back, Loki'd been messing with her head somehow. He was controlling her…and he was somehow able to pass that control to Natasha, Pepper, and Betty. They almost _did_ kill us. Stark and I managed to avoid the worst of it, but Betty injected Banner with that Asgardian poison. He Hulked out and sort of…threw her against a wall."

"Oh, God," Steve murmured in horror, hugging Bucky a little tighter. "Is she…?"

"She's alive. The two of them regained consciousness yesterday morning. The poison didn't kill him, but he was in a coma that whole time…and he just about jumped ship when he found out what happened to Betty, literally. They managed to calm him down, though, Betty, Stark, and Selvig. They're keeping him distracted by having him help with the prosthetic. Stark's a…bit more excited about it than he should be, I think. He's on about how he's going to integrate it into his armor design."

"And…Thor?"

"Loki made him drink the stuff, and either he didn't really mean to kill him or he just didn't count on this Odinsleep thing of theirs. Apparently, only the reigning king's supposed to undergo it."

"What about you?"

Clint stared at him a moment before answering, "You mean the Carter thing, don't you."

"Is it true? Do you know?"

"Looks like," Clint said, shrugging in feigned indifference. "I had Fury pull my D.N.A. profile and compare it to Sharon's. Turns out we _are_ related. Heh, had a cousin this whole damn time and didn't even know it."

"But…how could S.H.I.E.L.D. not know something like that? If Peggy was a founding member-"

"Honestly, Cap? They probably _did_ know, just didn't see fit to tell me for some reason. I know who I'm working for. I'd never seen the official report of that accident until two days ago. It states all _four_ family members died in the wreck: my parents, my brother…and me. There's an interesting story there…about why this piece of paper says I died twenty-four years ago when I'm standin' right here."

"Think you'll ever find out what happened?"

"Maybe…if I ever get around to it. It doesn't really affect my life right now," he lied. Steve remembered what he'd said…about remembering what it sounded like to hear the people you love screaming as they died. Had that really only been a week ago? Now it felt like a lifetime had been crammed into that week.

"What I want to know is how _he_ knew about it," Clint continued, turning his gaze down to Bucky. Both men were a little surprised when he actually answered.

"You can't imagine how much the Soldier hated Peggy," he mumbled against Steve's chest, not looking at either of them. "That hate was burned into that part of me. Any similarity triggered it…and seeing you standing there, ready to fire…I guess he just _knew_."

"How're you feeling?" Steve asked, gently lifting his face up so he could look him in the eye. Bucky smirked at him, his eyes slightly red.

"You _would_ ask me that…even though _you're_ the one who's been out cold for two days."

"And…this?" Steve asked, pressing his fingers against the spot he knew the bullet had penetrated.

"It's fine, totally healed. Nothing to worry about," he reassured him, moving his fingers from where the mortal wound had been and drawing them up to his lips, gently kissing each fingertip.

"And…I…think I'm not gonna wanna be here in a few minutes," Clint said slowly before scurrying out of the ward.

Once again, Steve wrapped his arms securely around Bucky, and the slighter man returned the embrace just as fiercely.

"Don't you dare scare me like that again," Bucky berated him.

" _Me?_ " Steve asked incredulously, though his hold on the other man didn't lessen even a little. "I thought I'd _killed_ you."

"And it would have been no more than I deserved."

"And how do you think that would have made _me_ feel? To live knowing I'd killed you?"

Bucky sighed as he snuggled closer to Steve. "No different than I would have felt if the situation had stayed reversed. Let's just agree that…neither of us would have survived in either case. We both did stupid things."

"Yeah," Steve agreed, kissing the other man's temple. "Only…what happened with Loki? Did the others get him?"

Bucky shook his head. "He split. No one knows where he ran off to. He just said he'd gotten what he needed from us."

"What…he needed? What does _that_ mean?"

"No idea. They're thinking he's probably not even on the planet anymore…but I think we're all pretty sure we haven't seen the last of him."

"No doubt," Steve said absently, lamenting the fact that he'd lost his chance to kill the Asgardian.

"So…what happens now?" Bucky asked after several minutes of silence.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked, drawing his focus back to the man in his arms.

"I mean…you and me? What do we do now?"

"Well…Fury's probably gonna want to keep you under lock down for a bit, make sure Loki's influence is really gone…but once you're in the clear, I'd…like you to come live with me…if you want," Steve said, hesitant and awkward. Bucky glanced up at him, something uncharacteristically shy in his gaze as he sat up.

"And where do you live?"

"Depends on who you ask. I've got my own place, actually kinda near to where our old place was. Since Loki showed up, though, and the Initiative got off the ground, it's been a little easier to stay at Stark Tower. He's got room for an army and then some…but he can be a little…difficult to deal with sometimes, so I've always got the option of staying at one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s safe houses. That's what I was doing when…you first came back," Steve said, his eyes going distant for a moment before joining Bucky in sitting up. "I'm fine with whatever you wanna do; I just want to be with you…sort of…pick up where we left off…"

The look in Bucky's eyes betrayed relief, but the grin he gave him was the same familiar shade of rogue. "Sounds good to me. You _know_ that's all I ever wanted…to be with you."

"All right," Steve said, feeling he could collapse in relief. "We'll get on that just as soon as we're both out of here. We've got a lot to catch up on."

XxX

Aware that Captain America probably wouldn't take too well to his boyfriend being debriefed/interrogated/browbeaten by Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director opted to carry out the questioning whilst the good captain was asleep and still recovering. Even though he didn't like the idea of going behind Steve's back, Bucky didn't argue against the plan, as Steve had finally come out of his coma. Fury could lock him away for the rest of his life and he probably wouldn't care, now that he knew Steve was going to be all right.

"Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes," Fury began formally, "sometimes known as the Winter Soldier, do you understand why this hearing has been called?"

"Didn't know I was on trial," the soldier said casually, opting to forgo military decorum, as part of him was half certain Fury was just going to have him executed, "but yeah, I get it. You want to ask me about Loki."

"Something to that effect, yes," the director said, eying the soldier warily. He was sitting at the head of a table, surrounded by the Avengers, minus Steve, and the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had survived contact with him: Maria Hill, Sharon Carter, and Darcy Lewis. Bucky was sitting alone before the table. Really, the only thing missing was a pair of handcuffs.

"What do you need to know?"

"Well, let's start with the obvious question: How did you survive the fall seventy years ago and wind up looking damn spry for a ninety-five-year-old?"

"Loki pulled me out of time that day. He brought me to this time in order to use me as a weapon against Steve."

"Can he _do_ that?" Tony interrupted, pitching the question at Thor.

"I have never known what _all_ my brother's abilities are," the thunderer answered after several moments of contemplation, "but given the power he's displayed during our recent encounters, I would not place such a skill as being beyond him."

"Why _you_ , Sergeant Barnes?" Maria asked sharply, putting the interrogation back on track. "What did Loki hope to gain from using you over…say…Agent Peggy Carter?"

Bucky chuckled bitterly at this. "You think I'm lying…that Loki chose me and I joined him willingly for the promise of power," he said outright.

"We do have to entertain the possibility," Fury said, not at all embarrassed over being called out on the implied accusation. "After all, Agent Carter would have made just as lethal a weapon as you've proven to be."

"It wasn't about who mattered more to Steve; it was about whose extraction would have the least harmful effect on the flow of time. I was supposed to die that day. The time stream didn't miss me at all. Peggy's disappearance from the time stream would have left a deeper scar. For fear those effects might negatively impact him, Loki wanted the consequences of his meddling to be as minimal as possible…and they were. Only I paid the price for what he did," he explained, flexing his metal arm for them.

"And what did Loki do after he'd pulled you out of time?" Fury continued, accepting the explanation as typical Loki.

"I was tortured," Bucky said, struggling to keep himself distanced from those memories, recounting the time in a clinical, detached fashion. "In small doses, Nidhogg's Fire can be used as a powerful hallucinogen. Through a combination of that and the torture, I was coerced into becoming the Winter Soldier."

"Were you involved in the events of the Chitauri war at all?"

"I wasn't. I didn't see much of the people he was working with. The only one I ever really saw was an alien he called the Other. After he'd stolen the Tesseract, Loki brought me back to Earth and kinda…put me on standby."

"Standby?"

"He put me to sleep…incase his plan failed and he needed a backup. In stasis like that, I was able to keep my energy hidden without expending any of it. So I stayed hidden from S.H.I.E.L.D. until he woke me up."

"How does that work, exactly?" Natasha cut in. "Not many humans have the ability to use that kind of power, and you weren't one of them, according to your file."

"More of Loki's experimenting. He amplified the latent ability and taught me to use it. I'm still human, though; my body's not really cut out for it. The more I use it, the faster it kills me."

"Does Rogers know about that?" she asked him, her gaze sharpening slightly.

"No," Bucky said after a moment, a little surprised by the question.

"Might want to mention it," Clint threw in, his gaze just as sharp on Bucky as Natasha's was in the few moments he looked at him.

"I've read the reports of all the agents who were present at the Tonsberg incident. What we lack at the moment is the captain's report…and yours. What happened after Loki pulled you away from the others?" Fury asked him.

"He tried to make a bargain with Steve…the Project Rebirth enhancements for my freedom…but when I saw what was happening, I broke his control myself. I tried to give back what he'd taken, but…I don't remember what happened after that…"

"He reasserted his control?" Sharon suggested.

"Must have. I guess…that's what being dead is like. I was just…gone. Normally, I was at least partly aware when the Soldier was in control, but this…the next thing I was aware of was a bullet going through me, and it didn't matter how much pain I was in. I just knew I _had_ to give back what was taken…and I did. I was okay with dying then…but then Steve was screaming at me and trying to get me to eat something."

"The apple from Yggdrasil," Clint said.

"Then I…couldn't hear him anymore," Bucky went on as if the archer hadn't spoken, a touch of hysteria in his eyes and voice. "The apple seemed to hold me down…kept me from leaving…so I kept eating it…because I couldn't _stand_ not knowing…if he was alive or dead," he admitted, not looking at any of them.

"Yes, and I have the reports of the final exchange with Loki," the director continued as if a near mental breakdown _wasn't_ occurring right in front of him. "You talked about this Other then, too…and Loki said we ought to be concerned. Any knowledge of why that is?"

Bucky nearly broke out in hysterical laughter at this. _This_ was what Fury had been leading up to. It wasn't about him and Steve, or where his loyalties were. It was just this.

"No," he said, struggling not to laugh. "I know he was threatening to come down on Loki if he couldn't get the Tesseract back, but neither Loki nor the Tesseract is on the planet anymore. I have no idea why Loki thinks we should be afraid of this guy. Can't think why he'd bother with us."

Fury looked contemplative as he glanced down at his files. "The Avengers turned in a damn good performance at the Battle for Manhattan. Is it possible whoever's backing this Other might view them as a threat, Sergeant Barnes?"

Bucky's entire body went cold at the insinuation. If someone _Loki_ was afraid of saw the Avengers as a threat…saw _Steve_ as a threat…

"Yes," he said slowly, his voice shaky as he gave the wall behind Fury's head a horrified stare. "That's definitely possible."

"What is this?" an angry, familiar voice suddenly burst into the proceedings. Bucky looked up to see Steve standing in the doorway to the interrogation room, wearing nothing but a pair of pants and an absolutely livid expression on his face.

"Debriefing," Fury answered casually as he pulled out a phone, glancing through a few screens before asking, "Stark? Any explanation as to why the alarm I set to inform if the good cap woke up failed to go off?"

Tony shrugged as best he could with his heavily bandaged stump. "Hey, ninety-year-old virgin's got just as much right to be here as the rest of us," he said, glancing between the furious captain and the former Winter Soldier, the simple statement letting Bucky know that as far as the billionaire was concerned, things between them were forgiven.

"You've got him set up like a prisoner," Steve said as he marched into the room, coming to stand beside his lover and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"It's fine. You don't have to make a big deal out of it, you jerk," he replied, and even though he didn't look up at Steve, he did place a hand on the one on his shoulder, letting him know he was happy he'd come.

"Well, Cap, seeing as how you're awake, you may as well stay," Fury said, indicating an empty chair at their table.

"No. I think I'll stand," Steve growled, squeezing Bucky's shoulder a little tighter.

"Right on!" Darcy cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

"Suit yourself," Fury said, doing his level best to ignore the slaphappy agent. "We're just about done here anyway. I only had one more question. Loki said he'd gotten what he needed from the two of you. Any idea what he meant by that?"

"Believe me, if I knew, I'd tell you. I can't think of a damn thing he could have gotten from both of us that he might actually need."

"You sure?" the director prodded, eyeing him as only he could. "Speak now or forever hold your god damn peace."

"I don't know anything. If I think of something, I'll let you know, but I really have no idea."

"Are we done?" Steve asked, shifting his hand so he and Bucky could twine their fingers together, his glare for the director never once lightening.

"I'd say so," Fury said, gathering up the scattered files. "Adjourned or…whatever," he finished, waving dismissively.

Starting with Steve and Bucky, the others slowly filed out of the room, until all that remained were Fury and Maria.

"Can we really do this?" Maria asked her superior. "Can we trust him?"

"Barton and Romanoff seem to think so, and their judgment's usually pretty sound."

"I almost wish I could see what happened down there to make them all trust him…even knowing how Loki operates."

"Well, we'll probably get to once Romanoff gets a hold of Stark's footage from the battle. I'm not worried about his loyalties, though. James Barnes would follow Cap to Hell and back, lover or not. I've also seen what those golden apples can do, so I can't say I'm surprised as all that. I just think he knows something…but doesn't realize it yet, and I'm afraid when we finally _do_ figure it out, those words'll come back to bite us all in the ass. _That's_ what I'm worried about."

XxX

By the time the Avengers returned to Stark Tower, Tony and Bruce had finished the first model of his prosthetic, though Tony was constantly thinking up new ideas for it, even after the damn thing was already attached to him. Of course, when had such a thing ever really been a stop to Tony Stark? He had learned to live with mechanical parts before and he would do it again.

The robotic arm didn't look all that different from his armor and would integrate well into the new designs for the Iron Man suit. In fact, he had actually kept the stabilizer as part of the design for the prosthetic and had insisted on making dinner that first night back (even though he had no culinary skills whatsoever and had to be supervised by Clint whilst he sautéed and fried up whatever he could find in the kitchen). They'd ended up with a meal of deep fried rice, well-done beef, and charred marshmallows for dessert. Tony had already decided to try crème brulee next time, which no one was particularly looking forward to. He'd offered to give Bucky his own space in the tower, but neither he nor Steve deemed that necessary, which didn't particularly surprise anyone.

"Enjoy the room," Tony called after the pair as they headed off for the night. "Make sweet love to it…at a reasonable level, of course; some of us are very impressionable."

"Impressionable here having the meaning of voyeuristic," Pepper added.

"Hey, gotta get new ideas from somewhere. Otherwise you're gonna start getting bored in bed, and then what'll we do?"

"Somehow, Tony, I doubt you will _ever_ lack imagination in the sack."

Tony's response was lost to the young couple as they moved away from the commotion that was the Avengers. When Bucky glanced over at Steve, he saw that his face had already gone a rather severe shade of red, which the former mercenary had a good chuckle over.

"What's so funny?"

"Still kills me, you and innuendo. Made a kind of sense before, but now you're _definitely_ not a virgin anymore, and here you are blushing like a little fifteen-year-old."

"It's just…not their business…and theirs isn't any of ours."

"Sometimes I think you were born in 1820 instead of 1920. I'm almost amazed you even…that night…" he stumbled over the words, a very faint blush of his own tinting his cheeks.

"Well…I think we both thought we were gonna die…and I know neither of us wanted what…what happened before…to be the end of it. Though…we're not dying now…are we…" Steve noted, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.

"No," Bucky answered, turning to face Steve as they slipped into his room. "No, we're not."

It had been a long time since Steve Rogers had felt short of breath, but with the way Bucky was eyeing him just then, it seemed that his respiratory system had just stopped working altogether. He barely had enough presence of mind to take a breath before Bucky pinned him to the door, his lips sealing off all access to air.

Steve groaned heavily into the kiss, trembling like it was the first time all over again. At first, he just let it happen, as if things were still as they had been before the war and Bucky was the tall, strong one between the two of them. Nothing in all the world had ever been able to capture him as Bucky's kiss had. Several minutes into the heated session, though, the mighty captain seemed to remember that he was in possession of super human strength and pushed back against his lover, guiding their entangled bodies in the direction of the bed.

Bucky was pleased with the new intensity and responded just as ferociously, tearing off Steve's shirt and littering his neck and chest with angry red love bites. Steve growled against him, feeling his body react to the sharp new sensations. While he was distracted by them, Bucky took the opportunity to flip them so that _he_ was on top and Steve had a completely unhindered view as he stripped off his own shirt, to which the captain moaned appreciatively.

This done, Bucky lowered himself back to Steve's chest, tracing slow, heavy kisses from there down his stomach, and finally…to the waistline of his slacks. As he began to undo the belt, he glanced back up at Steve's face, seeing that it had once again flushed red with embarrassment. Bucky offered him a reassuring smile.

"You pick the most interesting times to get shy," he said as he finished with the belt.

"Well…it was darker…before," the super soldier said haltingly.

Bucky shook his head before sending a small trickle of magic to the light switch in order to dim the lights. "That better?"

Steve nodded, leaning forward to kiss him again. "Thank you," he whispered against his lips.

"You still don't get how gorgeous you are, do you," Bucky said, only half-teasing as he ran a hand along the side of Steve's face.

"Twenty-two years as a scrawny nobody and four years as a super soldier. Which mentality do _you_ think is stronger?" Steve asked, grinning in the dim light.

"Doesn't really matter," Bucky said as he moved back down. "You were always gorgeous to me."

Coherency was pretty much lost to Steve after that, as Bucky's very talented, very hot mouth was suddenly working between his legs, driving him wild with new, undreamed of sensations. He couldn't help the obscenely loud cries Bucky drew from him with every move. Even though he tried to draw it out for as long as he could, it wasn't long before Steve was coming, and even then, Bucky kept his mouth on him. It wasn't until Steve was completely spent that he finally released him, moving back up to lay beside him as he trembled on the sheets.

"God…God…Buck…" he continued to moan helplessly as Bucky kissed his neck.

"Tired already, Cap?" he teased. "Darn shame, cuz we're just gettin' started."

Steve smiled as he rolled onto his side to look Bucky in the eye. He felt practically boneless, but he was eager for more. Even though they hopefully had years ahead of them in which to explore and love each other, he had lost and almost lost Bucky a time too many to take even one second with him for granted. Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead against Bucky's.

"I could do this all night."

XxX

Loki collapsed the moment he emerged from the void, curling in on himself in pain and exhaustion. He wasn't completely certain where he'd ended up, but he was at least confident it was beyond the reach of any sapient life form. It had taken everything he had and more to get himself to this barren stretch of rock, so at this point, all he could do was hope it would prove to be worth it.

When he was feeling up to it, which could have been either minutes or weeks later, Loki slowly sat up, thinking to have a look at the environment he'd wound up in. It truly seemed to be a barren rock, a moon with a very harsh atmosphere, but still something tolerable. He knew, however, that if this moon was like its siblings and parents in this system, a more habitable environment awaited below the desert-like surface.

Slowly struggling to his feet, the trickster began to walk, sending out his senses in search of a break in the seemingly endless rock. As he moved, he also divided his senses, turning some of his attention inward, toward the _reason_ he'd fled so far.

What his little soldier hadn't been aware of at the time was that he'd done a bit of shape-shifting before their show for the good captain. Nothing visible, of course, just enough so that he could do something other than waste the seed the human had given him. In fact, it was already being put to good use. He could feel the difference deep inside of him…the weight and knowledge of the barely begun lives he carried. The harsh journey had not harmed them.

This moon was certainly no place to raise children, but then again, these would not be ordinary children, not even by Asgardian or Jotunn standards. No one knew it, but he'd been to see the Norns before invading Earth, and while they hadn't given him exactly what he'd wanted, they had told him some very interesting things that he hadn't realized the importance of at the time.

 _There is a prophecy,_ they'd said, _that the children of Loki will bring about Ragnarok…the ending times. They shall be the kith of many realms and they will have power the Trickster knows not. Though they be the seeds of destruction, they also be the light of redemption._

He didn't much care for the part about redemption. It was Ragnarok…the idea that it was in his power to turn the wheel of destiny…to bring about the beings fated to cleanse the filth of the current cosmos and usher in an entirely new one. With them as his children, he could paint his own ending to Ragnarok…and if they just so happened to be his enemies' children as well, heheh…wouldn't that make the final confrontation that much more interesting.

Lost in thought as he was, Loki nearly fell into the crevice when he finally came upon it. To his relief, he could hear the sound of water trickling up from below. Eager, he wriggled his lithe body down into the crevice, dropping into the cavern below, and was pleased to find a stream. Nothing else really mattered; so long as there was water, he could remain here. He could keep himself and his children hidden from all his enemies until the time was right, and…maybe…in the meantime…he could be the family his own had never been to him.

Feeling only slightly awkward, Loki rested a hand on his stomach as he began to walk along beside the stream, exploring the cavern.

"Don't be afraid," he said softly, pretending it was more for the not-quite-yet babies than himself. "We'll be safe here. No one will find us…and they'll _never_ see us coming," he crooned, chuckling quietly as he walked along.


End file.
